Patron
by jessara40k
Summary: Shuuichi and Youko are two souls sharing a single body. But their relationship is not what you'd expect. This comes into the open when they are given separate bodies.
1. Chapter 1

Youko whined softly in fear as he realised what sort of mood his host and master would be in after all the innuendos Karasu had directed at him after he watched Team Toguro's training with the two humans. Shuuichi would not allow himself to be prey in that way. Youko remembered the time that he'd felt that confident, almost arrogant. But his arrogance at least had been tempered by the memory of what he'd been _before_ he gained his second tail, after his entire clan had been destroyed while he was still a kit, and how he'd survived to become a master thief and the most skilled and powerful Plant Master in the Makai. Tonight's session would be worsened by the fact that Shuuichi had concluded he needed the power boost that he could only get from Youko's form, and the memory of how Youko had gained control of their body for just a few seconds when they were first exposed to the Potion of Past Life. The fact that Youko had been too scared and shocked to try anything but defending himself from his opponent had won him a reward from Shuuichi; a real reward, for he'd spent the night being petted and stroked, and gently teased until he climaxed and opened his legs of his own accord, instead of being raped. Even then he'd known better than to think he wouldn't be expected to please his master, and if he could please the human without having to bleed he counted himself lucky, being permitted to climax himself, and first...

It didn't matter, his master was falling to sleep. Deep in Kurama's mind Youko cowered into the darkest corner he could find, knowing that the collar and cuffs at his wrists and ankles would allow his master to drag him out anyway, but praying to Inari that perhaps _this_ time he'd find some other outlet for his anger and cruelty and forget about Youko if the demon hid well enough.

Shuuichi appeared in the dreamscape, and moulded it to fit his wishes, a dark temple surrounded them, Youko hiding in one of the hidden niches, the human standing by the altar stone, a tray of knives and other things by his hand.

"Where are you my pet? Don't make me come looking for you." If he'd thought he had a chance of hiding...but he didn't, and Youko crawled out of his hiding place and over to Shuuichi. He pressed himself to the ground at his master's feet, a low placating whine coming from his mouth. It had been so long since he'd dared to speak that he wasn't sure he _could_ any more, not coherently. And Shuuichi had taken all the knowledge he'd gained over more than a thousand years, and a lot of the power, and made it his own.

Suddenly he was tied spread-eagled to the altar, no apparent transition, and he knew it was Shuuichi's doing, his will changing Youko's reality. Red hair brushed his cheek as Shuuichi took his mouth in a dominating kiss. But the human said nothing, he just took out the knives and set to work, gagging Youko first.

Afterwards Shuuichi simply willed him healed, and he was, one of the advantages of living in a dreamscape Youko reflected bitterly, it wasn't a true advantage, _he_ couldn't control it, only Shuuichi could, and he often abused it to take Youko closer to the edge of soul death than he'd have risked physically. The altar his master had raped him on changed to a bed, he was still chained, but at least it was more loosely, allowing his owner to pull him into a possessive embrace that he accepted without challenge.

"I'll have to use the Potion of Past Life to fight Karasu. You'll fight him too, even if it puts you in charge of my body for a few moments, won't you?" Youko didn't think that was very likely, it was probably just the shock that had given him control the first time, he hadn't gained control when Shuuichi had tested the potion earlier. But he still nodded against his master's shoulder, making a wordless sound of agreement as his master stroked his hair. He hated himself for taking the scant comfort his rapist offered, but it was all he had. "Good. I don't think he'd believe you if you tried _not_ to fight him anyway. After all everyone _knows_ that humans are weak, far too weak to imprison a demon inside their body and mind." Youko shivered at that, and at the implication that even when Shuuichi 'died' as a human he wouldn't be free. It was something he'd been trying not to think about, the death of his last hope.

But then he was distracted, as Shuuichi kissed him, and began the slow process of bringing him to arousal. This was another torment, and Youko decided desperately to try something new, turning his kitsune tricks to use to pleasure the human, praying his master would be pleased enough with this new form of capitulation not to torture him more.

When it came to morning Youko had only acquired a few bruises and scratches, and he hadn't needed Shuuichi's healing again that night, making this night much better than he'd expected overall. He'd thought he would be in for a night like the ones that finally broke him, a night of being tortured nearly to death, over and over, then brought back to health, only for it all to start again. Those had only started when Shuuichi was ten, and they'd realised that Youko _couldn't_ regain his form as he'd expected to, that he'd be trapped in Shuuichi's body for some time to come. Before that...Shuuichi had dominated him, and took his powers and knowledge, but he hadn't been cruel, not really, just rough and Youko had considered it a mostly fair trade. His knowledge, and power, and sexual submission in their dreamscape until Shuuichi lost control of their body in exchange for a place to hide while he recovered from his injury, and a life to take afterwards.

He watched the fighting from within Shuuichi's mind, as he'd expected he didn't have any chance to control their body when it returned to his old form, and he was powerless to do anything, but he still watched, if only because he feared that Shuuichi might grant him control of their body to suffer in the human's place. His fears were foolish he supposed, his master would have killed them both before allowing Karasu to live to see his victory, and Youko wondered if he'd ever been that strong. He felt a distant gratitude that Shuuichi _had_ allowed him to see what was happening, it would have been far worse to have been imprisoned in his master's mind, held by the chains of his master's will, only vaguely aware of what was happening.

0

The next time Youko was really aware of what happened in the waking world that Shuuichi moved in, and he no longer hoped to experience, was at the end of a battle, some force pulled him out of the mists of the dreamscape, and he was suddenly aware of the last enemy throwing something at Shuuichi. His master intercepted it with his whip, and destroyed their attacker with a thrown grass blade, but there was something in the thrown object that emerged as a mist and the dreamscape seemed to fracture around him. He suddenly found himself in his true form, apparently physical, but still wearing the marks of Shuuichi's ownership, and he hurt too much to do anything but collapse. He was distantly aware of his master's contempt as he returned to the devastated dreamscape of his mind, or his master's.

Or both since Shuuichi appeared just minutes later, and he was angry. Youko whined in fear when he saw the anger on Shuuichi's face, the anger that he so rarely showed to anyone else, and pressed himself to the ground in submission. The kitsune form was his truest nature, but he never looked like a kitsune in here, and he didn't know why, unless it was that Shuuichi simply didn't want a kitsune. Still, this time he was more terrified than ever before, by the strangeness of what had just happened in the outside world as well as by his master's anger, and so in a panic he tried to shift, and this time it worked. The change seemed to startle Shuuichi out of his anger a little, and there was something...

Youko tried to spin enough to see and count his tails, he knew it was stupid, he wouldn't be able to succeed that way, and there were better ways to find out what he wanted to know, but it amused his master, and once Shuuichi was laughing...

"You don't need to do that my pet. You've got five tails now." Shuuichi knelt and pulled him into his lap, stroking his head and back. Youko crooned deep in his throat, burying his muzzle beneath his master's arm in an ironic gesture of trust. "Hmmmm, I wonder..." He put Youko away and the kitsune watched anxiously, as the human...changed to a fox form himself, but one with his own blood red fur and emerald eyes, rather than the silver and gold of Youko's form, and just four tails, not five. Youko tentatively offered to play with him in his actions, and to his surprise Shuuichi did, for a few moments at least. And it didn't turn into sex, even when Shuuichi ended up on top of him. But as soon as Youko rolled over, offering his throat to Shuuichi in submission the other fox sat back on his haunches and shifted back to human form.

"We appear to have been split into two separate bodies. So, a few ground rules. You will not give any indication that we still share a dreamscape. And you will not explain who was in charge of our body for most of my life. And you most certainly will not discuss what happens in our shared dreamscape. Do you understand me?"

Youko whined in affirmation, and nodded.

"Good. Now, shift back to your other form, I want to play a bit more." Youko shivered and obeyed, but at least Shuuichi didn't sound angry anymore. The human - at least he _thought_ Shuuichi was still human - undressed him slowly and began to kiss him, and Youko decided to just lie back and enjoy this rare, tender mood. His master still chained him down, hands above his head, legs open, but for once he didn't take Youko, but rode him instead. It was a rare event for Youko, and he let himself enjoy it totally, cleaning his master as commanded afterwards. The chains disappeared once Shuuichi had reached his completion, even though Youko was still hard, but he got to his knees as commanded.

"Go ahead and masturbate if you want. But we need to repair this dreamscape." Youko didn't understand why his master needed _his_ help, but he took the permission offered and used it, his master would tell him what else was needed he was sure. He could feel the dreamscape shifting around him as he spilled his seed and he offered an interrogating whine to Shuuichi.

"Envision the world around us as whole and undamaged, see it as, oh, the grounds of Genkai's temple. You do remember what they look like?" Youko nodded as he obeyed...and the world changed around him, to fit what he envisioned, or almost. It was different in some areas, doubtless from his master's mind and control, but he was just grateful to have been permitted to do this. As he thought that he found himself dissolving from the dreamscape...

0

He wasn't certain where he was when he woke, so he feigned continued sleep that seemed to deceive those around him. He knew he was among his master's allies when he heard Yukina's voice, telling Genkai that they just needed to rest, otherwise he and his master were both healthy, but that didn't make him feel safe enough to open his eyes. He could still feel his collar and his cuffs - even if they didn't feel exactly like the ones that kept him under Shuuichi's control in the dreamscape, and he wasn't certain enough of how his master's friends would react to him to risk it. He heard his master moan, not something he normally got to hear, and then he heard someone walk away from him, probably to Shuuichi.

"Kurama-san?" The Koorime sounded uncertain.

"Yes, Yukina-san, I am awake. What about Youko?"

"He hasn't woken yet."

"He should have." From the quiet protest Yukina bit off quickly Youko knew it was his master walking over to him. He could feel it when Shuuichi sat beside him, lifting his head to run a hand through his hair. "He's faking it, must not trust you. We know you're awake, so stop pretending." A thin whine of fear escaped his lips and Youko sat up obediently, not looking directly at anyone, but keeping his gaze to the floor as Shuuichi climbed into his lap, wrapping his arms around his shoulders. All of the other Reikai Tantei were there, as well as Genkai and Yukina.

"First, are we both healthy like this?" The question seemed addressed equally to Yukina and Genkai. Youko could see Hiei unveil his Jagan as he glanced past his master's hair.

"It seems so, Fox."

"I can't sense anything wrong with either of you, Kurama-san."

"And can anyone tell what our power levels are now? I'm...not certain."

"You're high end of B-class median, he's low end of A-class median. Same pattern though."

"Thank you Hiei. We used to be high end of B-class superior, or low end of A-class inferior, didn't we?" Shuuichi began running his hands through Youko's hair, obviously searching for something as he turned to the others. The silver kitsune soon found himself purring at the way he was being treated, he didn't know why, he shouldn't have, but he almost felt as if he _loved_ his master sometimes. "What happened? I remember that last demon throwing something at me, and a mist came out when I used my rose whip to destroy it..."

"Metal things came out too, that collar on his neck." Yuusuke gestured at Youko as he spoke. "Five hidden demons, tried to take him. We killed 'em."

"It looks familiar, I'm just not sure why..." Shuuichi pushed away from him to inspect the collar.

"First Patron Gift." He should have recognised it from the feel, before Hiei had to point it out.

"And unspecified too. We can't leave it like this. I think I'm the best choice to claim him, if no one does he's a dangerous weak point. Genkai-shihan, you could provide for him, but I don't think you'd be willing to take him to your bed. Hiei, you don't seem to have a home in the Ningenkai. Yuusuke, Kuwabara, you're both heterosexual, and pursuing someone else, even if you could provide for him. I'm kitsune enough to not care about the gender of my partners, and keep up with him, and I own an apartment I can put him in, the whole building actually, and I've got more than enough money to provide for him." No one else said anything as Shuuichi twisted around to kneel across his lap.

"Youko Kurama, will you accept me as Patron? I swear that while you are mine, and it is in my power to prevent you shall go neither hungry, nor thirsty, nor cold, you shall not lack for shelter, nor clothing, nor protection."

Youko gave a bark of agreement, and nodded, Shuuichi cut his finger open with a leaf blade and smeared his blood on the front of the collar.

"It won't be finished until I've taken him to his apartment, fed him and bedded him, but he's safe now."

0

Yuusuke had to be missing something here.

"What's going on? You own an apartment building Kurama?"

"Makai ritual." Hiei thought that was enough, Kurama laughed.

"Yes, I own an apartment building, the first theft I pulled off after I'd been born into this body was about three months after my father died. I was six, Kaasan was having problems paying the mortgage, even just the interest, so I stole enough to pay it off, and convinced her that it was a late payout from insurance. If I'd had more warning I'd have made the theft before he died. I invested the money from later thefts into property, and I buy a lot of my own clothes, duplicates, or stuff she'll never see me wear, it saves money for her, especially considering that I ruin my outfits by fighting in them a lot of the time. When she was in hospital the rents from my apartment building covered the bills, she doesn't know how much it cost, she still thinks her savings and what's left of the 'insurance money' paid for it. And I can sneak some money into her account every month, or I can until she remarries, when she intends to hand over her finances to her husband, but Hatanaka-san can provide for her very well."

"Didn't you ever have problems collecting money from your tenants?"

"They don't know who the owner is, one common speculation is that I'm Yakuza, first they thought I was someone's toy, then they speculated that I was some boss' son, now the most common bet is that I'm an enforcer." Kurama looked as innocent as only he could when he continued. "I can't imagine why." Yusuke could.

"Hey, you never said what that stuff was about." At least it was Kuwabara who said it.

"Think of it as a contract, like an old style feudal lord maintaining a mistress. That's the closest equivalent. I'm required to set him up in a suitable dwelling, clothe him suitably, make sure he always has enough to eat and drink, and that he's either protected, or can protect himself. That's how I-he, _we_ learned to use plants, our last Patron was a Plant Master, he set up plants to protect where we lived, and gave us the minimum teaching to control them a little. We got our second tail by training during the first twenty years we were with him, then, after he'd let us go we decided we didn't need a Patron - it's often the only way for a weak but pretty demon to have any safety. And Youko's clan were all killed when he was the equivalent of just hitting puberty. And that's when kitsune get access to a lot of their powers." Kurama didn't seem happy about explaining this, but it didn't look like anyone else could. He was still running his hands through Youko's hair, more and more urgently. "Don't you have any seeds on you, Youko?"

The demon shook his head, whining, instead of speaking. Yukina moved towards the two Kuramas at that.

"Why don't you speak Youko-san? Should I check-"

"Don't. Not yet, not until I've finished claiming him. We _both_ seem to have kitsune instincts, or I assume he does, and I haven't finished becoming his Patron yet." Then Kurama kissed Youko, forcing his tongue into the other's mouth. "You have a tongue, and obviously vocal cords, speak to me."

"Trkgh..." Youko stumbled over his words. "Try to speak, nrt...not used to it."

"Here, protection." Kurama began pulling seeds out of his hair, handing them to Youko one at a time as the other put them away. Youko looked shocked at one of them, but he didn't say anything, just put it with the rest. "Genkai-shihan, this will work better if I actually catch the food I give him, do you have any pots and stuff I can take out into your forest?"

"Go ahead. We won't get any use out of you two until then, will we?"

"No, I suppose not. Yuusuke, can you check with Koenma and find out whether he expects both of us to remain in the Tantei, or just me?"

"Sure. You want me to see if he can put you two back together too?"

"No, there's more advantages to being separate like this. At least I think there is, I'll tell you if I find out that I'm wrong. Or you can tell me if Koenma comes up with a good reason to merge us back together. But I think he'll be thrilled at the idea of having another 'pet demon' on his Tantei. Genkai-shihan, could you show me which pots I can use?" He stood, and led the other Kurama away, one arm around the tall kitsune's waist.

0

Youko knelt obediently when Shuuichi released him, and watched as the other called the plants around them to guard him.

"Try to shift into your fox form my pet." Youko glanced up at his master wide-eyed, for just a second, before he obeyed. It had been _so_ long since he'd worn this form, since he'd controlled his own body at all, but he resisted the urge to run and play. It would anger his owner if he did that, he was certain. Then, Shuuichi took on the fox form from their dreamscape, and Youko began to realise what he'd done when he placed himself in Shuuichi's body, he'd changed the embryo from that of a human like Yuusuke, with high spirit energy, to that of a kitsune. But why...

"We couldn't shapeshift without aid before because we were two souls in one body, and since the human form was mine, and we were trying to get to _your_ humanoid or fox form that ability was blocked." He hadn't noticed when Shuuichi took on his version of the half and half form that he'd learned just before his clan died. "Now, I want you to think of what it felt like in my body, focus on those sensations, and try to replicate them, the way you replicate the sensations of being in this form to take it."

That made an awful lot of sense, Youko obeyed, remembering what it had felt like on the rare occasions Shuuichi had granted him temporary control of their shared body, usually so that _he_ could get out of something he disliked, like the one occasion Shiori had taken them to see a Kabuki play, but Youko had been grateful for it anyway. Once he'd remembered everything he could, he focused on altering himself, so that he'd feel that way, sense the world like that, again. And it worked! His hair was still silver, and his eyes presumably still golden, he was still just a little bit paler than Shuuichi, and his hands thinner and longer, but he wore a human form, kneeling on the ground.

"How did you know this was possible?" He looked up at Shuuichi in wonder as he risked questioning him.

"You don't know?" His master seemed surprised by that. "Remember our trip to the Makai when we were eight?" Shuuichi had found a brothel that included a black kitsune two-tailed vixen as one of the whores, Youko had hidden himself inside Shuuichi's mind after the other had paid for her time, he'd assumed that the human wanted to experience something of sex in the physical world before he lost the chance, and allowed privacy. Now he nodded obediently. "I had Asuka tell me all about what a kitsune should be able to do, and at what level of power. That's what started me experimenting with telepathy and telekinesis, and why I bought that E-class." The E-class had been killed when it was of no more use, after Shuuichi, and Youko had both mastered telepathy with anything that could use its power. If Shuuichi hadn't done it without prompting Youko would have suggested it, even so soon after Shuuichi had broken him.

"Stay here while I hunt. Use the time to grow the seasonings I'll need, and increase the numbers of the medicinal seeds I gave you."

"Yes, Shuuichi-sama. W-what of the Death tree, do you want a seed to replace the one you gave me?" It was the only one they had, so he had to ask.

"No. You have higher ki than I do, you can use it better." With that Shuuichi shifted into fox form and left the clearing he'd created. It was a shock to Youko just how much those few words meant to him, those few words, and the casual show of trust his master made by giving such a weapon to him. Shuuichi _hadn't_ finished claiming him, he could still kill the other, and that would free him of the collar and cuffs, but...he didn't want to. He didn't know why not, just that he didn't want to kill Shuuichi. He'd only been given one of each type of seed Shuuichi had handed over to him, so he began making himself as many more as he could, especially of the medicinal plants and roses. But not until he'd grown the seasonings his master had requested, he didn't want to displease Shuuichi. And...Shuuichi hadn't asked, but he could help by starting a fire for him, even if he was to stay here he could get his plants to bring him deadwood, and it was easy to get the grass to clear away so he could dig a fire pit, even if he did have to take fox form for that.

He didn't have any of the devices ningen used to start fires now, but he didn't need them, he'd learned how to do things like this before his clan was destroyed, and it was easier now, oils from the fireweed would make it much easier to light the wood from a spark, instead of having to rely on a handful of dried grass to catch the first spark, then to nurture it...

"That was very thoughtful of you, my pet. Well done." His master's voice startled him, but he still preened under the simple praise from his master, enjoying the gentle caresses Shuuichi rewarded him with. Shuuichi had brought back a pair of rabbits that he quickly cut up and seasoned, roasting them over the fire pit, then feeding Youko by hand. Afterwards it seemed only natural for them to move into bedplay, surprisingly gentle on Shuuichi's part, he didn't even restrain Youko, and something seemed to fall into place then, just like with his other Patrons.

0

Botan was waiting when they returned to the temple, not very happily, and Youko trailed behind Shuuichi, so that his Patron could take the worst of any anger she felt. He'd take whatever advantages he could get out of this, and even if he was stronger than Shuuichi his owner had sworn to protect him.

"Why's he hiding behind you, Kurama?"

"Because he's my concubine, Botan. That means I'm supposed to protect him. No one else is allowed to hurt him." That might not have been the best thing to say. But Youko fully intended to act like a proper concubine, if he showed that he knew his place his master might only hurt him in the dreamscape.

"But you can hurt him, is that it? That's wrong." Yuusuke looked almost as if he was about to challenge Shuuichi over him. Why? Yuusuke didn't even _know_ him - but he might think that he did. "I can't believe you're _acting_ like this, Kurama."

"He's acting like a demon. I thought you were the ningen half?"

"Actually, it turns out that if a kitsune enters a foetus with high enough spirit energy you get two kitsune if anyone manages to separate the two souls." Shuuichi took his halfway form as he spoke, making it much easier for Youko to hide behind him. "Botan, you _can't_ have him. He's mine."

"Koenma thought you might say that. He's committed more crimes than you have...but he can work off his debt the same way you are, as long as he's under your complete control."

"He's my concubine, by definition he's under my complete control, Botan. Human form, my pet." Shuuichi reached behind him, pulling Youko forward by one wrist. Youko obeyed without question, making himself look like a human, and never raising his gaze from the floor.

"I thought Youko had this scary rep. You sure that's the same guy?" He flushed as he overheard Yuusuke's muttered comment, and pressed closer to his master for safety.

"We both have the same memories, but they seem to have affected us differently. Considering the reason he's my concubine, it's no surprise that he's the more submissive of us." He felt his master shrug behind him. "I don't know if the souls are mixed up, if I'm the soul that was originally meant for this body, or if he is." He'd need to keep track of that lie, or perhaps he wouldn't, not considering his total lack of interest in that sort of esoterica even _before_ he died. "But obviously whoever tried to enslave him would have wanted whichever of us was the more compliant, and desired his form more. Has anyone figured out anything about who was behind this?"

"No, not yet. But if they want Youko we can monitor him, and find out that way." Botan seemed uncomfortable making that suggestion, and for a very good reason. Youko found himself thrust behind his Patron, dropping to his knees as he lost his balance, and when he glanced up through his hair he could see Shuuichi's Rose Whip wrapped around Botan's throat as the other kitsune pulled the ferry girl towards him.

"Hey!" The objection was coming from two throats at once, the two human boys, held at bay by more of Shuuichi's plants, the Aura Vines, that kept them from manifesting enough ki to use their abilities. The vines would be useless if Yuusuke raised his full power, but they'd work as a delaying tactic.

"Relax, I'm not going to hurt her. But she needs to understand. Youko is _mine_!" He practically growled it into her face. "Mine to protect, mine to punish, mine to do with as I please. And I will _not_ allow you to use him as bait."

His Patron was ready to fight over him, but...Tentatively Youko reached out, touching Shuuichi's lower back, and feeding his ki into him.

'Well thought my pet.' A wave of approval accompanied the thought. It might not be as much help in a real fight as a partner would be, but this was to establish Youko's position more than anything else, and despite his reputation Youko wasn't a fighter the way Shuuichi was.

"We didn't mean use him as bait, just monitor him, so if anyone tries to take him we'll know who it is." Botan sounded frantic and Youko allowed himself some amusement. Genkai and the other demons all seemed to realise what this was about, and they had more sense than to interfere.

"The extra protection couldn't hurt. You have my permission to put some type of tracking device on him, no more." He released Botan, and began to let the Aura Vines return to their normal state, slowly enough to let the human boys calm down. "Are there any other conditions?"

"He has to pass for human, that's all."

"Not a problem, you didn't expect him to have a human form, did you? Youko, collect the vines, you can keep one of them."

"Thank you Shuuichi-sama." He stopped the ki-feed to his Patron and stood to collect the two seeds when they'd finished reverting, watching the other people as he did, wary in the way he'd been when he only had one tail.

"We have to go, the shops will be closing soon, and I need to get Youko some clothes."

0


	2. Chapter 2

Youko looked around the apartment, taking in his home for however long his master intended to stay in this city. He hadn't remembered it properly since he'd mostly been hiding in Shuuichi's mind when he decided to buy the building to provide for their mother if they had to. They hadn't needed to do anything blatant since paying off the mortgage, and now Shiori's new fiancé would be able to provide for her even when she stopped working and became a full time mother and wife as she planned to.

But he had remembered the number of drugs Shuuichi had used to convince the builders he'd hired to change it so totally from the previous layout. The apartment was much more traditional than anything else in the building, there were tatami instead of carpeting or anything more Western, all of the doors except the entrance were old fashioned sliding doors. The final joke had been when the builders had asked permission to use the apartment as a showpiece, to display their skills in converting modern homes to the traditional layouts more and more people longed for. They'd even agreed to the fees and frankly outrageous security bond he'd demanded, and hadn't contested it when he decided that he wouldn't let them use the apartment for that any longer three years ago.

He'd had to be reminded to remove his shoes in the one tatami entrance room, putting them in the half tatami cupboard to his right and the long cream leather coat Shuuichi had bought him and told him to wear out of the shop in the half tatami cupboard to his left while Shuuichi turned on the ningen lights in the next room. This was the central room, from which the kitchen and bathroom could be reached, on his left and right respectively. The central room was a seven tatami room, slightly strangely shaped, with six tatami forming a 12' by 9' rectangle, and the seventh at the end of the room, in front of the door that led to a home office, a three tatami room with the most Western furniture, except the kitchen if he remembered right, a Western style computer table and chair, and the computer to go with it, positioned so that whoever was working on the computer could look out of the window as well. Shuuichi led him through to this room, with his new clothes, mostly yukata, one Western suit, and lots of material for him to sew his own outfits.

"You can pick either of the bedrooms, they're identical." Then Shuuichi left him, probably to put the food he'd bought away in the kitchen. He decided to take the bedroom nearest the kitchen, and began putting his clothes away in the wardrobe and clothes chest that were the only furniture other than the double futon. A smile tugged at his lips when he realised that in just over two hours his Patron had bought him as many outfits as he'd had at any one time in the Makai, and he'd been considered a clotheshorse there. But then, ningen standards of cleanliness were a lot higher than those of many demons, kitsune being one notable exception.

Thinking of differences between youkai and ningen...he stood and made his way through to the kitchen, glancing out of the large window at the city before he spoke to his Patron.

"Shuuichi-sama, might I grow some Sunstars and Flamehearts to replace the ningen lighting and heating systems here?" As long as he gave them plenty of meat scraps and some of his ki the sunstars would provide much more pleasant light and the Flamehearts would act as a far more effective heating system than anything the ningen could make.

"I don't have any seeds for those." His Patron sounded almost apologetic, it was almost scarier than hearing his master angry. "But once I've got you settled in and explained things to Kaasan I'll see if I can get Botan to take me through to the Makai so I can buy Asuka. Would you like to come along to get those seeds?"

He intended to _buy_ that two-tail vixen! Youko bowed his head submissively to hide his eyes, desperately tamping down on the surge of mingled fury, jealousy and a very little relief he was feeling. He shouldn't be feeling this way, except for the relief, he shouldn't want all of Shuuichi's attention for himself, but he did. His master chuckled, reaching out to lift his chin.

"Don't try to hide what you're feeling from me. I swear on what little honour I have that I won't punish you for what you feel." Youko met his eyes, feeling puzzled, most Patrons didn't like that. "You can take your other shape if you'd rather, the humanoid one, so long as no human sees you looking like that."

"As you wish Shuuichi-sama." It didn't bother the other that _he_ was still in human form, and therefore a foot and a half shorter. "Please, I would like to get those seeds so long as it does not inconvenience you. But why are you buying that two-tail? She can't pass for human and does it really make that much difference to bed a female?"

"Getting the seeds falls under my duty to give you a home, and unless you've been holding out on me and know how to create an illusion, or foxfire we need her to teach us. Her clan's still alive, so we can trade on that for more advanced lessons eventually. She can use her illusions well enough to look like a normal fox, I can get an exotic pet license easily enough." Using whatever means he thought necessary, that went without saying. Shuuichi kissed Youko as he was thinking, running a hand over his collar, rendering it and the cuffs invisible, and moved to leave the apartment. "I'll introduce you to Kaasan at three tomorrow afternoon. Wear one of the yukata."

"Yes Shuuichi-sama." Youko followed his Patron, and knelt on one of the cushions watching him, until he'd shut the door.

0

This time his master seemed to ignore him in the dreamscape when Youko finally fell to sleep, despite his excitement at the prospect of being introduced to Kaasan as himself, and perhaps, if he was lucky being accepted as another son, or even just as her true son's concubine. The dreamscape still looked mostly the same, but in one area, it had changed to the arena from the Dark Tournament, and his master was there, fighting the battle against Karasu again, but differently, more successfully, and Youko couldn't tell if it was wish fulfilment, or something else. He knelt where the others had waited for their matches, in case Shuuichi wanted him later, and if nothing else, it was fun to watch him fight.

"What are you doing my pet?"

"W-waiting for your pleasure?" He turned it into a question in his surprise.

"Not tonight." Shuuichi laughed, glancing back at the body of his defeated opponent as it resurrected itself. There'd always been some nights when he didn't play with Youko, but in those cases Youko had always just hidden himself somewhere in the dreamscape. He didn't know why he hadn't done the same this time, unless it was because he was just so confused. "I'll make you a promise, I'll only do you significant damage during sex here, where I can heal you immediately afterwards."

"Th-thank you." He stammered in shock at the promise, he hadn't really expected that Shuuichi would offer to restrict his propensity for violence in sex would extend to the real world, even if he'd hoped for it, but... "What does significant damage mean Shuuichi-sama?"

"Anything beyond scratches, minor bites, and bruises. Why don't you go and find something else to do?"

"I'm not interested in exploring the dreamscape." Youko pouted as he was drawn up to his feet, only then realising that he'd automatically appeared in his half and half form, while Shuuichi still looked human, he thought that even with the height difference it would amuse his Patron to have him pout, most of his previous Patrons had enjoyed that after all.

"And you can't think of anything else to do? Well, I can always give you something to do. Look at Karasu there. You must have observed him from inside my body during the Dark Tournament?"

"Yes Shuuichi-sama, I did." And this version of Karasu was less, much less than the other, he just wasn't sure how to explain it.

"This one is wrong, I know he isn't as strong an opponent as he was during the Dark Tournament. I've given him all the tricks I saw, but it isn't enough, and I can't give him the ability to adapt them. It was alright before, I hadn't figured out counters to what he can do here, and since I don't directly control what he does he's still a bit of a challenge, but not enough. I want you to make a new version of him."

"I-I don't understand Shuuichi-sama. How could I do that, I don't even understand what you wish of me." He still couldn't understand how he'd helped make the dreamscape around them, or how Shuuichi had controlled his own so well.

"You're...not a lucid dreamer? I...thought that was a kitsune thing."

"Lucid dreamer? I don't remember...yes, that was mentioned in one of our psychology classes, wasn't it?" He shook his head as he realised what he hadn't understood before. "No, I've never been able to control my dreams."

"You mean you always had to heal at normal rates when I left you without healing you? Until I got back to the dreamscape, assuming you'd healed yourself?" Shuuichi looked strangely shocked at that. "I always thought the main reason I could impose my desires over yours in this world were the agreement you made with me when we were born, and that I had a physical body, but you didn't. A lot of the legendary kitsune powers involve dreams, I'll have to teach you how to do this."

"Please. What must I do?" It was something to do anyway, and it might mean that Shuuichi-sama wouldn't want to take him in this world for a while, and since he'd promised not to do significant damage in the waking world...

"While I'm in the dreamscape you're restricted to making things and people. The technique is the same for both - although people are harder, focus on the nature of what you require, on everything you know about it, and build a picture of it in your head. Then, when the picture is perfect let your will flow through and into the image, and call it into existence. Try, now. Just don't tell me what you're trying to make."

People were harder...not Sai then, he couldn't stand to make an imperfect copy of Sai, the first lover he'd taken because _he_ desired it, not because he had to trade his body for something. But...a goban perhaps? Shuuichi had told him that they couldn't take the time to develop an interest in go, not if they wanted to maintain the perfect grades that meant so much to their mother. And before that had been a consideration it would never have occurred to her to spend so much on a game that no other in her family or her husband's played. It formed in front of him, a box with four small legs at each corner and a grid of sorts on the top, but only by a great stretch of the imagination could it be called a goban.

"Try again as often as you want. When you practise changing the dreamscape just do what we did to create it." His master turned away to go back to his sparring partner, boosting the power to almost twice what it had been.

0

Youko woke up newly awed by his Patron's abilities in the dreamscapes, and mystified by where he obtained them. He didn't remember his master ever having difficulties in controlling them, or doing what he'd been finding so hard. And this was Shuuichi's first life, he _knew_ that, he'd felt the new soul forming as he desperately tried to take over their body before the other's presence made it impossible, so it couldn't be residual memories from his previous incarnation.

He'd hovered outside of Shiori's pregnant form, having checked to make sure he wouldn't be mistreated as much as he could, and entered into her pregnant body when he realised that a new soul was beginning to form. He'd thought that he'd be able to take over the body, and absorb the energy from the human soul before it fully formed, but instead he'd been hurt and found himself in the dreamscape that became his home, a man with green eyes and red hair facing him. Somehow all his efforts had done was give that newborn soul his own memories and powers and, he feared, damage his sense of morality.

_"Who are you? And why are you trying to steal my body?" Later he'd realised that Shuuichi already knew the answers to his questions since he'd absorbed Youko's memories even then, but at the time he'd been too stunned by this suddenly adult soul to think of that. And he'd already recognised that he was too weak to fight the human for his body, much less try again with someone else._

_"My name is Youko...Kurama." He'd hesitated over using his personal name, it was the name one of his Patrons had given him, and he'd resented it at the time, but the name_ did _fit him, and his clan had held to the practise of giving a kit a new name on reaching adulthood, so his childhood name was too embarrassing. He'd gotten too used to the name to really want to change it, but still, he stumbled over naming himself so to this strange soul. "I am a kitsune, and I was killed in the Makai. I sacrificed one of my tails and some of my power to come here so I could take up residence in the body of a human," By rumour and guesswork really, but he hadn't been about to tell the other that, even then something about Shuuichi had been scary. "until I became strong enough to return to my true demon self."_

_"And how long would that take?" The human tilted his head to one side contemplatively as he spoke. Youko couldn't quite believe what he was hearing, was this ningen really willing to let.. ".And should I allow you to ride in my body until that time what would happen to me afterwards? Would you expel me from our body, or would I be permitted to remain a passenger inside of your body?"_

_He was! "I...it is said that it would take ten years, few kitsune are willing to do this, we tend to be too fond of sensual pleasures." He suspected that those who were willing to deal with ten years of celibacy had experienced the darker side of sexuality in their past, as he had. "I would give you the choice, you could ride in my body until I died, most likely by violence as all demons do, or I could free you to go to the Reikai and be reincarnated then, or...we could merge into one soul it is said." This was one thing that all kitsune were taught the theory of from birth, but they rarely learned the practicalities involved in sacrificing a tail until they became adults, at least not in his clan._

_"Very well, then I will allow you to dwell here in the dreamscape of my body and mind until you are strong enough to take it as your own," The blank dreamscape changed as he spoke, to a bedroom like a human noble's more than a thousand years ago, the first clue showing Shuuichi's access to his memories, if Youko had just noticed. "provided you permit me to bed you in here however I please until that occurs. I will allow you to take over from me on occasion, but once this body becomes yours I expect you to permit me to remain in your dreamscape, and to use your body on occasion."_

_"I agree." His voice was weak with relief that he wasn't going to have to fight for this body, or die looking for a new one._

Youko's hand went to his collar and he laughed as he finally recognised what should have been obvious to him sixteen years ago. He'd been agreeing to be Shuuichi's concubine in the dreamscape until he could take control from the other. Shuuichi had never raped him, just taken his rights as Youko's Patron, and none of his treatment at Shuuichi's hands had even been truly worse than that he'd experienced from previous Patrons. Even the nights when he'd been almost killed again and again were something he'd experienced before, with a Patron who was a healer, who'd withdrawn her protection when she thought she'd broken him. He'd only come out of that sane because she'd misjudged, he hadn't been entirely broken, and he'd been lucky enough to find a new Patron who was kinder. And Shuuichi had truly believed that Youko had known how to heal his injuries himself, he hadn't left him hurting out of cruelty, just ignorance.

0

Shiori wondered what could be so important about the friend her son wanted her to meet, and what he wanted to tell her that he could only say when this friend was here. She couldn't imagine anything so special, unless...did he have a girlfriend? She'd been so worried by the way he reacted to all the girls who chased him, she had been afraid that perhaps he'd be put off girls for life, but perhaps...

She concealed her disappointment when her son brought another boy, albeit a beautiful, very feminine boy, into the room, but she couldn't hide her shock when he knelt at her son's feet.

"Shuuichi-kun? Who is this, and why is he..." She couldn't bring herself to continue when the silver haired boy in the ice blue yukata nuzzled at her son's thigh.

"This is Youko Kurama, and he's part of what I need to tell you." Shuuichi stroked Youko's hair with obvious affection. Shiori listened with a sense of rising disbelief and shock to the tale her son wove of kitsune and other demons, of a bargain struck between souls, of their love for her, including what they'd done for her sake, and of a spell that tore them apart and how they were lovers. It was the last thing that pushed her too far. She could accept a demon as a son, she could even bring herself to adopt and care for Youko if she had to, but she couldn't accept the idea of her precious son destroying his future to have sex with another boy.

They'd both grown fox ears and a fox tail to demonstrate - and nearly a foot and a half in height, explaining her son's uncharacteristically loose and sloppy clothing, but for all their inhuman elegance and beauty they were looking at her with pleading eyes, desperate for her love and acceptance. She took a deep breath to calm herself before she spoke.

"Shuuichi, I love you, and you will always be my son, nothing can change that. I think I can even love Youko for your sake, he needs it. But...I cannot condone a relationship that could hurt you so much. So many people think it's wrong for boys to sleep with other boys, think of what it would do to your career." She wouldn't bring up her own issues with it, if it made her son happy she wouldn't have objected except for how badly it would damage his future.

"You want me to abandon my concubine because of the Gaijin prejudices that have infected our people? No one would have turned a hair even as recently as the Shogunate, but because ignorant Westerners think men shouldn't lie down together I should give up someone I've sworn to protect and shelter? I can't Kaasan, I just can't." He sounded distraught at the very idea, her son had always had such a strong sense of responsibility, and the look on Youko's face...like a man who'd been allowed a glimpse of Heaven, and then turned away at the gates.

"P-please, Shiori-sama, if it is just how appearances will affect Shuuichi-sama's future I can disguise myself as a female. I've done it before. Will it buy me acceptance from you?" Shiori was shocked by the despair in his voice and the pure submission in every line of his body.

"Do you really think you can do that? Have you considered what it would mean? You would have to keep up the pretence every time you stepped out of your apartment." She spoke gently to him, reaching out to stroke his hair.

"I-if Shuuichi-sama is willing to arrange a legal identity for me as a female I can." He wasn't acting much like a demon, more like a frightened, abused child.

"You'll dress traditionally then. Kimono and that sort of thing. What name should I get put on your ID?"

Youko didn't answer at first, looking at her with a plea in his eyes. It only took a few seconds for Shiori to realise what he wanted. He was just turning to Shuuichi to speak, the hope dieing in his eyes when she broke in.

"When I was pregnant with you we chose two names, Shuuichi if I had a boy, and Akari if I had a girl. Why don't you give Youko Akari as a personal name?"

"If you would like that, Kaasan, then I will." Youko..._Akari_ just looked at her in adoration and Shiori quickly changed the subject.

0

It had taken a lot of persuasion from Shuuichi, but eventually Botan had agreed to take them both back to the Makai and pick them up when they'd finished their business. She dropped them off by the den Kurama had set up near the brothel where Asuka was kept when he first found her. Youko had thought it was a waste of time, but he'd been allowed to control their body a lot more while they were setting it up, so he hadn't objected. Shuuichi-sama picked up a large portion of the treasure they had stashed there, ten of the hiruseki gems that he'd stolen from a demon who collected them, and forty gold pieces, while Youko gathered seeds from the Sunstars and Flamehearts that lit and heated the den.

Shuuichi was wearing black leather pants that he'd modified for his humanoid form and a dark green silk shirt, as well as a whip made from a stingray's tail at his left hip; Youko hadn't expected him to be equipped like that, he'd known about the pants of course, he'd assumed they were for _his_ form, but he'd obviously been buried deep in Shuuichi's mind when he'd gotten the whip. Youko followed his Patron, head lowered submissively, eyes focused on the other's waist, straying occasionally to that disturbing whip, a shiver running across his skin every time, ostentatiously unarmed even if no one would be fool enough to believe that appearance.

He glanced up at the brothel when they got there, pressing just a bit closer to Shuuichi as they entered the door of the fortified stone building, one of his earliest Patrons, the one who'd tried to break him, had told him that after she'd tired with him all he'd be good for was being a prostitute, if he was lucky, that he was more likely to end up in a brothel as a whore, a slave. That was why he'd never gone to one of those places once he had the choice not to, and another reason he'd hidden in Shuuichi's mind when he was with Asuka.

"I want to speak to the owner." The guard, a crow demon, C-class inferior at best, took one look at Shuuichi and Youko and obeyed, escorting him into a sitting room where Youko knelt obediently at Shuuichi's feet, a perfect concubine. The owner was a dog demon, scarred on his face and just B-class inferior and he looked nervous to be in the presence of his betters, not daring to comment on the oddity of a concubine more powerful than D-class superior and more powerful than his Patron to boot.

"What did you wish to speak with me about, lord?" The demon sat, looking tense in his seat.

"I believe you have a black kitsune among your whores?" Shuuichi played casually with Youko's hair as he spoke, hardly seeming to pay attention in a display of disdain and contempt.

"Yes. I have a legitimate bill of sale and all the paperwork required for her." The demon sounded defensive, Youko could tell that it surprised Shuuichi.

'Kitsune clans have been known to kill those who keep their clanmates as slaves, even legitimately, but especially if they were enslaved illegally.' He hadn't had a clan to defend him that way, but he'd thought his days of being a slave had ended a thousand years ago. He'd been proved wrong when he died, and he'd sold himself into slavery to a human in exchange for survival.

"Good. Because I want to buy her from you. I'll give you a hiruseki gem for her."

"Why would _you_ want..." The demon cut himself off quickly, but not quickly enough. Shuuichi leaned forwards with a predatory smile.

"What was that you were saying?"

"We don't usually get kitsune as clients, and why would you want a two-tailed vixen when you have a four-tail as a concubine?"

"Key word there? Vixen. I made an offer, will you accept it, or make a counter-offer?"

The dog did bargain then over the price, and they finally settled on a price of five hiruseki gems and ten gold pieces, for the vixen, her toiletries, and two full, _decent_ outfits for her.

"One last thing. I want to see her and inspect her before I pay for her. Send for her and the ownership papers while you write out a bill of sale."

0

Asuka shivered and wrapped her filmy robe and the furs of her bed more tightly around her body, looking wistfully at the locked trunk containing kimono and more practical clothing reserved for when a client requested it, before she began to brush her hair out. Inu punished the whores harshly if he thought they were improperly groomed, that was the only way this brothel was superior to the one he'd bought her from, she was _required_ to bathe after every client, from when she'd been captured to when Inu bought her she'd been lucky to be allowed to bathe once every three months...

She put her brush aside and stepped out of the furs when she heard someone approaching. She got at least five minutes warning before a client arrived, but she didn't want any of the employees to catch her looking vulnerable, it might tempt them too much. Ebon was usually on guard at the gate, or her escort on the few occasions she was allowed out of the brothel - on a leash so she had no chance of escape - or occasionally to bring a whore to be punished. He _wasn't_ sent to warn the whores about their clients' arrival.

"You're being sold vixen." Her deepest fear, she'd managed to learn all the rules of this place and she was almost never punished anymore. "Your new master wants to inspect you before he pays." He didn't say anything else, dragging her along to a room she'd never seen before. A red kitsune as powerful as she'd ever seen in even the eldest of her clan was sitting reading through some papers that had to be her ownership papers, with a _silver_ kitsune radiating more power than she thought a kitsune _could_ kneeling by his feet, wearing the collar and cuffs of a concubine. She just froze in the doorway at the unbelievable sight, until Ebon pushed her into the centre of the room, drawing Inu's attention from where he was writing out what had to be a bill of sale.

"Here she is. Feel free to inspect her as you wish my lord." She shivered, eyes cast down in submission, waiting to be told what to do. When her new owner walked over to her she braced herself to be hurt - why else would such a beautiful kitsune resort to buying a whore? But he didn't even strip off her robe so he could see her body properly. Instead he put his hand under her chin and lifted it until she was looking him in the eyes.

"You left your clan freely, did you not?"

"Yes lord." Her voice was a bare whisper and she hated herself for that, for showing so much weakness.

"And were you considered competent to teach kits before you left?"

"Of course lord." She didn't see what he was getting at, but she wasn't going to be defiant towards him. He seemed satisfied, turning away from her towards Inu.

"She's what I thought she was. Get the other things I required." He began taking gems of some sort out of his purse as he spoke, setting them on the table in exchange for the bill of sale.

"Five hiruseki gems, and ten gold pieces as agreed." Her new master had been cheated then, she wasn't worth anywhere near that much...was she? "Youko." Youko? As in Youko Kurama, the legendary bandit who appeared at the Dark Tournament? The last of his clan? It couldn't be. But the silver kitsune responded to the unspoken command, moving to join his..._their_ master in front of her and holding out an open bag.

Their master pulled out a collar and cuffs like the ones his concubine was wearing and held them out to her. "I'd prefer to give you more time to think this over, but you'll have to decide now."

First Patron Gift! Did he really think she needed time to think about this? All the whores dreamed of being a concubine, still a slave, but one that couldn't be sold when her Patron tired of her, only freed. She almost snatched the collar and cuffs from his hands, fastening them onto her body as fast as she could.

"Toura Asuka, will you accept me as Patron? I swear that while you are mine, and it is in my power to prevent you shall go neither hungry, nor thirsty, nor cold, you shall not lack for shelter, nor clothing, nor protection." He seemed oblivious to the stunned stare Inu was directing at him.

"Y-yes, lord." He smeared his blood on her collar at her response, then wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her to sit on his lap as he retook his seat.

"You can go now. Send her things in when they've been gathered." Her new master spoke coldly to Inu, with a casual assumption of dominance and superiority that surprised her, and impressed her when it was obeyed. Then he turned his attention to her. "I live in the ningenkai. You can use your abilities to hide one of your tails when you're in fox form can't you?"

"Yes, lord."

"You'll have to, until you get your third tail. Except for when you're in the apartment you'll be sharing with Youko or somewhere I tell you it is safe to look like a demon you'll have to pretend to be an exotic pet fox. Can you manage that?"

"If you command it, lord, then I must." She wasn't certain that she dared say anything more, but... "It will take a long time for me to gain a third tail, perhaps more than a human lifespan."

"I know it's possible to gain a tail or two in ten years, I did after all. Here's your things," Ebon had arrived carrying a pack with him. "change into one of the outfits then we can go."

0


	3. Chapter 3

Youko watched Asuka as Shuuichi left them in their apartment. She couldn't seem to believe what she'd been bought for and he'd take advantage of her disbelief to establish his dominance over her. He could deal with belonging to Shuuichi, even if his master had less power than him at the moment he knew that it was only because _he'd_ benefited from the other's mania for growing stronger while they shared a body and he was originally a kitsune. But he couldn't stand being submissive to a _two-tail_, and if he didn't do something _now_ he would be, by the end of the fifth lesson, at most. So, to retain some slight psychological edge, he remained standing instead of joining her as she sat seiza on the cushions in the main room.

"I doubt that Shuuichi-sama will bother to bed you again. So in addition to teaching your duties are to do all the chores necessary to keep the apartment fit for entertaining him." He tilted his head, looking down at her in vague contempt, if she harboured any hopes of challenging him for the top spot among Shuuichi's concubines this would bring it out. One of his Patrons had kept at least three concubines at all times, and he'd _never_ managed to come out better than third when there were five in total. "Well, those that don't involve you leaving the apartment."

"Since I cannot pass as human?" She was accepting it easily, he just hoped he hadn't gotten so out of practice at hiding his emotions that the relief he felt that she wasn't going to fight his dominance showed. "As you wish, but you will need to teach me _how_ to do these chores. And what of these?" A gesture to the plants he'd grown while their master claimed her. "Humans don't normally grow plants like this, do they?" She kept her eyes cast down submissively as she spoke, keeping her words from seeming like a challenge.

"I have a list of humans who know what we are, I can turn away any others who come here without warning. We'll get warning if any humans need to visit, I take it that you _can_ hide them with illusion given that?"

"I-I'm not sure." She shot a nervous glance up at him and he finally came to kneel opposite her. "If you would be willing to supply me with your ki then certainly, but I couldn't hide something so big for very long by myself."

It was a reasonable request, and at least he knew how to feed ki to another, it was something he'd gotten down to a fine art in fact. Partly because _that_ was something every demon could do, with varying degrees of skill, and it was very similar to his Plant Mastery. Come to think of it...

"I can do that. Tell me, have you found out what elemental or Quest-class abilities you have yet?"

"No. I haven't." She blushed a deep red and Youko hid his satisfaction at causing that response. "No one in my clan knew what abilities I might gain, and they didn't manifest obviously."

"Genkai-shihan or Hiei might be able to help with that. Mastering the unpredictable abilities will be the fastest way for you to gain another tail. That's how I gained my second tail, and it only took me twenty years, as opposed to five or six hundred each for the next two." She gasped in shock at that, he extended his empathic senses to find out if she felt any contempt for how long it had taken him to gain his third and fourth tail - even if he hadn't _needed_ them, even though he'd been capable of taking care of himself by the time he returned from his self-exile to the ningenkai to gain more control over his powers. Shuuichi had been contemptuous enough, since he hadn't even thought about finding out what he was supposed to be capable of. He found that she was _awed_ not contemptuous, he hadn't expected that, and he knew that his surprise showed.

"There were five four-tailed kitsune in my clan when I left, five out of nearly eight hundred, and not one of them was under two thousand years old. But...if it took you twenty years to gain your second tail how does Shuuichi-sama know that a tail can be gained in under ten years?"

How much could he afford to say? He wasn't going to risk telling her the full story, besides which he wasn't entirely certain about that himself, but...

"I cannot tell you that, you'll have to ask him directly if you want to know." He shrugged and stood, reaching a hand down to help her up. "I'll show you what you need to do now." She placed her hand in his, accepting the implied order.

0

The three kitsune were sitting seiza in a circle, facing inwards early the evening after their master had bought Asuka, since Shuuichi had started back at school that day. Shuuichi had an old piece of paper in front of him, he must have written it out while he'd been doing his homework, since Youko had always tended to just fade into the back of his mind when he did homework for some subjects, the ones that bored him.

"To summarise what I learned from you six years ago, no living kitsune has had more than four tails, until Youko and I were separated. The abilities that all kitsune have are; sexually oriented empathy, the ability to change from our natural fox form to the humanoid form and a Quest-class or elemental ability. When we gain our second tail we also gain the ability to create foxfire, telepathy and some ability with illusions, which increases as we earn more tails...you didn't mention if there was an upper limit?" Their master raised one eyebrow as he looked at Asuka.

"In a way. The four-tails of my clan could create illusions of anything, and they could only be distinguished from reality by using ki-senses, rather than physical senses. It's said that five-tails can create illusions that can almost never be distinguished from reality and the ability to create illusions doesn't improve beyond that, but since there haven't been any five-tails for so long it's just a legend." Asuka shrugged, blushing as she did.

"When Youko manages to learn how to create illusions we'll find out if it's true then. To continue: with a third tail kitsune are supposed to gain telekinesis and the ability to take human form, and the fourth gives us the ability to assume other humanoid forms besides the half fox one. What else does legend say a five-tail can do?"

"The only other thing legend mentions for a five-tail is the ability to combine illusion and shapeshifting to change gender on the surface. It's said that a six-tail can change gender completely, enough to father or carry a child if desired, but who knows." Asuka shrugged again, carefully _not_ pointing out that if Youko managed to gain his sixth tail they'd be able to test it. He was grateful for that, he didn't particularly want to be used as his master's broodmare, and he knew that Shuuichi would choose the more powerful of his concubines as the mother of his kits given a choice. But...

"Might I learn how to change my apparent gender first Shuuichi-sama? It would make Kaasan happier."

"Pay attention, my pet. You need to master illusion and shapeshifting first, since changing gender combines these things...presumably illusion so you _look_ female to others, and shapeshifting so it _feels_ real to you. We'll start with illusions Asuka. What do we need to do?"

She took a deep breath, obviously steadying herself to tell two more powerful kitsune what to do, something that _should_ feel unnatural to her. "Creating an illusion is a matter of forming an image in your mind and then making it take substance wherever you choose. The better the image the better the illusion, but you can alter the image once you've created it. I was told that everyone has different ways of perceiving the process of making an illusion, for me it always feels as if I'm weaving a net of light."

"That sounds a lot like what I do to create an object or person in the dreamscape." Shuuichi sounded amused at the idea. "The basic concept anyway. Your method makes me wonder if your element isn't light. It never occurred to me to connect what I do in the dreamscape to the waking world, but..." Youko could feel him exert his ki and suddenly Karasu was standing in front of them. Youko flinched before he realised that he couldn't sense any ki from the image.

"Are you sure you _need_ me to teach you anything Shuuichi-sama?" Asuka sounded shocked at his casual display of control. Youko kept his eyes to the floor to hide his inevitable embarrassment and made his own effort at creating an illusion, of that ring Yuusuke was given to boost his Rei Gun. It was botched every bit as badly as he'd botched the goban in the dreamscape.

"I need you to teach Youko, and it never occurred to me to try this before, yes I need your teaching. But you can focus on Youko for this week. By the way, one of my Yakuza contacts has a 'mistress' who cross-dresses. 'She' will be coming to visit the day after tomorrow, to help you work out how to dress as Akari. Once we've got that sorted out I can get you a fake ID and get you accounts in a number of stores. I'll be leaving money in your bedroom for that. Asuka, I'll be taking you to visit Genkai-shihan on Sunday, to check what your elemental abilities might be, and help you access them, will you need any more clothes, or material to make some for yourself?"

"N-no. You have been more than generous Shuuichi-sama." He'd bought her a number of outfits and the material to make more before they left the Makai, simply by going to a shop and offering a Hiruseki for whatever she wanted. Asuka turned to Youko then. "Youko-san, would you show me your illusion again?"

Glancing at Shuuichi for permission he obeyed, and listened as the vixen critiqued his methods.

"Youko, this might improve your abilities in the dreamscape. Work hard at it; I'll expect to see some improvement when I visit you tonight." Then he left, threat unspoken. Not that he _needed_ to verbalise his threat.

0

Youko had dressed in one of his yukata for this meeting, since Shuuichi seemed to prefer him in traditional outfits, and he had the suspicion that it would be easier for _him_ to cross-dress when he was dressed like that. For the Patrons who'd wanted him to appear female in public he'd always gone for veils and robes, concealing his figure, as well as a whole host of tricks with how he spoke and held himself, and he pulled all of them out when he heard the doorbell and went to greet this Yakuza's 'mistress'.

He wasn't sure what he'd expected, but this wasn't it. The man in front of him was dressed in a Western style business suit, dark green with a jacket that emphasised 'her' narrow waist and a skirt cut to reveal beautifully shaped legs from the knee down. 'Her' pale blue blouse revealed just a hint of cleavage that couldn't be real and 'she' wore black court shoes along with black stockings and a garter belt that only his enhanced senses would notice beneath the skirt. 'Her' black hair was put up in a chignon and 'her' dark green eyes were amused - if it hadn't been for her scent he wouldn't have known he was looking at a man, even the ki didn't give strong enough cues, which had happened before. 'She' had an escort too, three men in black Western suits with obvious guns hidden beneath the jackets - well, obvious to him anyway.

"Hello, I am Youko Akari." If he was going to do this then he'd introduce himself by the name Kaasan had given him, and use the feminine forms. "I take it that you are the one my Patron said would be coming to help me?" Youko offered a helpless shrug as he stepped back away from the door. "I hope you were given more information than Shuuichi-sama chose to give me. But please, do come in, you can put your shoes in the closet to the right, and your jackets in the one to the left should you choose to do so."

"Thank you. I am Himura Aya." As 'she' was speaking 'she' removed her shoes, lifting her feet one at a time to do so, then 'she' let one of 'her' bodyguards remove the jacket. When the bodyguards moved to come into the apartment _without_ removing their shoes Youko put an arm out to stop them.

"I seem to have failed to make myself clear. Removing your jackets is optional, removing your shoes is _not_. Himura-san, what do you wish to see first?" He turned away, assuming the ningen would obey, and from the sounds he heard they did.

"The only thing that damages the illusion you present is how you look, and that seems mostly a matter of dress, make-up and perhaps styling your hair differently. But you knew about me as soon as you opened the door. Was it just that you had been warned?"

"That and your scent." Youko shrugged again, pushing the hair that had fallen over his left shoulder back with a calculated grace. "I have an exceptional sense of smell, just as my Patron does." 'Her' eyes widened just slightly at that, just enough to tell him that 'her' Patron hadn't known how Shuuichi was aware of his true gender, but safe enough to reveal since Shuuichi supplied drugs and an excellent sense of smell would aid in that.

"Ah. I should see your bedroom, and what sort of clothes you have." Himura frowned at him, unhappily, as he led 'her' and 'her' bodyguards to his bedroom. "You seem young to be doing this sort of thing." A leading statement, rather than a question, but it would be better to reassure 'her' in a way.

"I've been with my Patron for a long time." And by human standards it even was. "I made a ten year contract with him before we were together the first time." It had been meant to be a ten year contract. He knelt gracefully to pick up Asuka in her fox form as they passed through the office, letting his sleeve ride up just enough to show the bruises from where Shuuichi had bound him overnight, leaving him with instructions not to get his plants to release him until the morning, as punishment for not being able to work in the dreamscape any better than he had the first time he tried.

_"I was generous. I gave you two days to practise before I tested you. You failed to show any improvement, so I'm punishing you. But I understand that this is hard for you, so it's mild."_ Shuuichi had stood at the side of his bed as he'd explained to Youko, after allowing him five minutes to panic when he realised he wasn't going to be released after Shuuichi had finished taking his pleasure.

"Then why does he only now want you to disguise yourself as a woman?" 'She' sounded puzzled. "It isn't as if he's become ashamed of preferring men, is it?"

"He doesn't prefer men, he enjoys males and females equally." Youko replied absently as he pulled some of his yukata and underthings out of his clothes chest. "But someone who matters finds it distasteful that I share his bed, so he requires me to look female, to appease her." He stood, turning to her. "Is this a sufficient sample? I only have one Western suit, the rest are yukata like these. My Patron prefers a more traditional style. That's why he was surprised that _she_ held to those Gaijin notions about gender."

"I think with the right bra and prosthetics, as well as the right sort of underwear these would work on the clothes front. You also need to get make-up, and I'll show you how to do your hair. Any ideas?"

"A high pony-tail for my hair I thought, if I cannot just leave it loose."

"That will work as well. Come with me." Youko grabbed his purse, fastening it to his obi before they left.

0

Youko shivered unhappily as he slowly dressed as a woman, first the bra and false breasts, then an amber yukata embroidered with silver roses, and a darker amber obi. He'd put on his geta before he left, even if they were harder to walk in than zori, he'd worn both before. This would be his first time appearing in public dressed like this, even if he'd been practising in the apartment since Himura's visit, and worse, it would be in front of the Tantei, since they were all interested in Shuuichi's new concubine. _She_ would be wearing something practical, leather pants and a leather vest, black to match her hair, _he_ wasn't even sure he could fight in this outfit. But Shuuichi thought it would be better for him to test out his skills at cross-dressing on people who knew him. He took his brush and put his hair up in a high pony-tail - far more practical than the more elaborate styles Himura had shown him - adding an amber ribbon to cover the hair tie, then used as little make-up as he thought he could get away with.

He took a final look in the mirror, to make sure he hadn't done something stupid, and that the stares he was bound to get in public would be for his traditional style of dress in a time when almost all ningen aped Gaijin fashions, knowing as he did that he was delaying. He'd started getting ready early enough that it wasn't really a problem, but he didn't like the implied weakness, especially if Asuka noticed it. She didn't _seem_ inclined to challenge his dominance, but he didn't want to risk it; even if she was more broken than he was from her years in that brothel, which she might not be, she was still his teacher in how to use all the abilities he'd failed to master before.

It was with a hint of relief that he noticed the chipped red polish on his nails, polish that Himura had insisted he needed to wear, but that looked _wrong_ with this yukata, for the colour if nothing else. And she'd said that a woman was supposed to have perfectly painted nails, at all times ideally, but failing that at least for formal occasions, which this wasn't, but it was his first presentation to the Tantei and Genkai like this. And it reminded him of something he'd forgotten after Himura had finished putting him through his paces, something he shouldn't have forgotten, but that he couldn't afford to let ningen know about, because it would raise awkward questions.

"Asuka, come here."

"You look good, Youko." She sounded surprised, even though he'd dressed like this before he hadn't bothered with the make-up, just put it on briefly to practise, then washed it off, and he'd left his hair loose like a proper mane should be. "What do you want?"

"You need to put some make-up on, and some nail polish too. I know it isn't exactly practical, but...we're concubines, it's expected to some degree. Did you ever wear make-up in that brothel?" She hadn't been wearing it when Shuuichi bought her, he knew that.

"Only if a client requested it in advance." She was blushing, and had lowered her eyes, _good_ she was reacting submissively.

"But you know how to use it. Good. Here," He'd found the box of make-up he'd bought for her on Wednesday. "this contains the basics, eyeshadow, lipstick, blusher, mascara and nail polish in pretty generic shades, ones that are supposed to work for most people. Use it. Go to the entrance hall for your shoes and change to fox form when you've finished."

"Yes Youko. Subtle, like yours?"

"Subtle, but _there_." He turned away from her then, picking up the nail polish remover and starting to clean his nails in clear dismissal. There was a gold shade of nail polish among the selection Himura had insisted he needed and that would work well with this outfit.

Asuka hadn't finished by the time he stepped out into the main room, so he found her leash, a length of steel chain that he could fasten to her collar, which Shuuichi had set to still show when she was in fox form, and knelt to wait for her, they still had time after all, even if they were taking the train most of the way there.

When he saw her shift to fox form so easily something caught in his throat, and he hoped that he'd be permitted to spend the time at Genkai's temple exploring the forests in fox form instead of training. Shuuichi did want to equal or surpass him, so it was likely, he thought as he fastened Asuka's leash on her and locked the apartment door behind him.

0

Genkai sighed in frustration when she sensed Youko approaching her temple with another kitsune. She didn't want another student, Yuusuke was trouble enough, with his erratic power levels and complete lack of understanding of his own emotions, and she hated the idea of slavery that the demons seemed to find so normal. But somehow Kurama had persuaded her to at least look at his new concubine.

_"Genkai-shihan, I found Asuka in a brothel eight years ago. There wasn't anything I could do for her then, but now that I can help her I will. She's teaching us both the abilities Youko never had the chance to learn, but she never found out what her offensive abilities are. Quest-class abilities tend to be varied in nature, but there are signs that she didn't show, and certain common elements. So she has to have some elemental abilities, but none of her clan have abilities with the same element as her. Please, even if you can just help us work out what her element is that would be enough for us to start finding out how she can use it. If we can't give her that she'll probably end up being enslaved and raped again when I free her, that or forced to stay with her clan all the time, to stay safe."_

_"Are you saying she can't fight at all?" That sounded unlikely to Genkai, demons_ had_ to know how to fight, just to survive to adulthood._

_"No, she can fight, I think," Kurama was frowning as he answered her, "although I've never seen her in action, but her abilities aren't the sort that do much good in combat - except perhaps foxfire. I heard about the contest you held to determine your successor. I'd estimate her abilities are about the same as those who reached either the second or third stage, but not equal to those who got to the duelling stage." He shrugged as he spoke. "I know that means you won't think she's worth your time, but I swear that if we can just identify her element I should be able to find a way to teach her to use it in combat."_

_"Very well. Bring her here on Sunday. What element do_ you _think her abilities lie with?" Genkai knew that Kurama had to suspect what abilities lay hidden within his concubine, or he wouldn't have asked her to help._

_"I'd rather not say. It would be better if you looked with an unbiased eye."_

She didn't let her surprise show when Youko arrived in human form, dressed in a yukata, looking like a beautiful, exotic woman. He was more than capable of taking care of himself anyway, but it _would_ be fun to see how the Dimwit reacted to him. The vixen was the one who concerned her. She was dressed for battle, in leather, hair braided out of the way in a very human fashion, Genkai knew from Kurama that kitsune usually fought with their manes left hanging loose, but she kept her gray eyes cast down, and she didn't seem to show the sort of awareness the Tantei did. Not promising, but she had said she'd try.

"Genkai-shihan, this is Toura Asuka, my Patron's other concubine." Youko smiled at her as he spoke, teasingly, she was glad he was willing to do that, it had been unnerving how submissively he'd behaved the last time she saw him. "I remember what Yuusuke and Kuwabara said about your testing, and brought plenty of 100 yen coins for your arcade games."

"Good. You can play on some of the others while Asuka tests herself on the Janken, Karaoke and Punching games."

"Yes, Genkai-shihan." The fox let his eyes fall then, and glanced towards the forest wistfully. Genkai didn't need to read his mind to know what he was thinking.

"Stay until my dimwit apprentice and Kuwabara turn up. I'll tell Yukina not to let them know who you are, I want to see how long it takes them to figure it out for themselves. _Then_ you can go and play."

"If Shuuichi-sama gives me permission. Might I just stay with Yukina-san while you test Asuka? I should do some more work on illusions, it may help persuade my Patron to let me go."

"Yes, go on." She warned Yukina about the joke she intended to play on her apprentice, while Asuka used the games, then returned to assess her abilities.

"77 points on the Karaoke, 118 points on the Punching game at best, and 9 correct predictions on the Janken machine. I can see what Kurama meant. I won't waste my time training you, but sit down and tell me what you know about your magic. The elemental aspects, not the standard kitsune things."

0

Youko bit off a curse as he sensed Asuka's pain and need for someone. But he knew his duty, to comfort and help her if their Patron wasn't there to do it himself. And he wasn't. Youko's nerves had meant they arrived here well in advance of him. But at least he'd made some improvement in his illusions since Shuuichi had tested him, so he had something to show his Patron if the other demanded it.

Asuka rarely let him perceive her emotions, and _never_ negative emotions like this before, so he'd been expecting to see something a little more dramatic than Gankai sitting opposite Asuka, while the vixen seemed to be trying frantically to think of something.

"Asuka, what difficulties are you having?" He came to kneel behind her, and pull her back into his lap in a gesture that showed equal measures of dominance and comfort.

"I thought I was to come here so I could learn what my element was, not to be mocked for not alreay knowing it."

"Genkai-shihan, I do not understand?"

"If she knows that her abilities lie with an element she should have noticed clues as to _which_ element she can control. Even negative results will be useful." She seemed scornful, and Youko had to admire Asuka, _he_ might well have flinched had that scorn been directed at him. "I thought kitsune were supposed to be smart. Guess that's just Kurama, both of them."

"Asuka, think about the way you use your kitsune abilities, or the elements you _know_ you can't control. I've only begun to make any headway with illusions by treating them like a plant I was controlling a bit. Or...Hiei likes things hot because his powers lie in heat, Yukina prefers the cold for similar reasons, and both I and Shuuichi-sama would spend all our time with plants given a chance. What sort of thing do you like doing best?"

"Oh. There were kitsune among my clan who could control fire, earth, wind and water. And it was said that one of the four-tails could speed up or slow down time, to some extent. One of the kitsune with powers relating to earth specialised in crystals, and there was one who combined mostly air with a bit of water control to manipulate weather. They all said my abilities were nothing like theirs, so..." She shrugged against his chest, Youko didn't like her defeatist attitude, but he couldn't deny the advantages it gave him.

"Was that why you left your clan?" He couldn't really conceive of doing such a thing by his own choice.

"In part, yes." She didn't want to talk about it, he wouldn't make her. "I always saw creating my illusions as weaving with light, and my foxfire always starts as a ball of light. My empathy, I perceive the emotions as different shades of light, and I always used to trade tasks that took me into shadows for ones where I could stay in the light. I planted Sunstars in my den when I was old enough to have one of my own. Before that I would only come into the den when I was dragged, or when it was full dark."

"Then I think I know what your element is. Light. It's almost unheard of. This just might be worth my time after all." Genkai sounded almost happy about that. "Youko, get away from her. If you're too close when I test her it will interfere with the testing process and I won't get a true reading." That wasn't anything he could understand, he just obeyed and let Asuka down onto the floor before stepping away, eventually moving over to the other side of the room at Genkai's commands to move further.

He couldn't see exactly what they were doing, nor hear what Genkai was saying to Asuka, so he occupied himself with trying to form illusions right, but suddenly, almost half an hour after they'd started there was a flash of light from the other side of the room. It wasn't very bright, perhaps as much as a single Sunstar blossom opening at midnight, but from the excitement Asuka was feeling she had created it, and controlled it.

"I've got more information somewhere in my library. I'll lend you the books and you can come here for assessment and some help every weekend."

"Thank you Genkai-sensei." Asuka sounded so excited as she followed Genkai.

"Youko, wait with Yukina. Come and get me when the others arrive."

"Yes, Genkai-shihan. Forgive my presumption, but you do realise that she can only train with you should Shuuichi-sama permit it?"

"He _asked_ me to teach her Fox." That seemed to be all Genkai felt she needed to say. Youko shrugged and returned to the main room where Yukina was mending a torn yukata and went back to working on his illusions.

0

**Mizuki hikari **Since this is from Youko's viewpoint for the most part, and I don't plan on using Shuuichi's point of view I didn't want to bring their agreement in at first, but since Youko's ended up with a bad case of Stockholm Syndrome he started off trying to fight against it by focusing on the bad points, and forgetting that he'd agreed to be Shuuichi's concubine in their dreamscape. Then he found out that Shuuichi had assumed he'd picked up his ability to manipulate their dreamscape from Youko.

By Makai law what happened wasn't rape, but ethically and morally it was a different story. On the other hand, Shuuichi honestly believed that Youko had the same control over the dreamscape he did, and more power, which is established in canon, and if he had really wanted it to, if he was willing to break their agreement, he could have stopped what was happening.

One of the things I'm trying to make clear in this story is that both of my Kuramas are demons and they act and think accordingly, their attitudes are very alien to human morality.


	4. Chapter 4

Youko was beginning to feel stupid - and bored too. It was becoming all too obvious that the time Shuuichi had told him to arrive here with Asuka was a lot earlier than when the rest of the Tantei were expected to arrive, and he should have realised that himself since only his Patron would have any interest in how Asuka's abilities could be measured. He'd been working on his illusions for almost an hour before that even occurred to him, and now he was beginning to resent Genkai's order to stay with Yukina. He could have enjoyed an hour or so in fox form before anyone else arrived, and it wouldn't have shown when he turned back human - he'd have still been wearing the yukata and everything else involved in his disguise.

"Youko-san, I'm going to start lunch now. Would you care to help?"

"Yes, please Yukina-san. How many will we be cooking for?" It would be just like Yuusuke and Kuwabara to turn up just in time for a meal, especially Yuusuke, and for similar reasons to why Hiei would arrive to share a meal with Yukina any time he had a good enough excuse.

"Eight, I hope. We'll see."

"Yukina-san, if Genkai-shihan wishes to play a joke on Yuusuke and Kuwabara, or even just test their senses should you not avoid using my clan name in front of them?" Youko spoke as he followed the koorime to the kitchen.

"What should I call you then Youko-san?"

"Kaasan gave me a human name, Akari. Why did you think I was dressed as a woman Yukina-san? Shuuichi-sama doesn't care about how it looks for him to have a male concubine, he isn't infected with this ningen nonsense." He laughed quietly at the idea of his Patron caring about human mores for any reason other than to please Kaasan. "What meal are we preparing Yukina-san? And what might I do to assist?"

"We'll be doing a number of different dishes, Akari-san. With the appetites Hiei-san, Yuusuke-san and Kuwabara-san have we couldn't possibly cook enough of one dish to satisfy them all. Can you grow some seasonings for us to use? They taste much better fresh. And some vegetables too if you don't mind."

"Why would I mind? Just tell me what you need. If you have any rabbits, or small game animals I can prepare some Makai dishes, or approximations thereof. Kaasan liked them when Shuuichi-sama prepared them for her."

"Please do so, Akari-san. If you can catch them quickly, as most of the meat is in the freezer. I think Hiei-san would enjoy that. I've been concentrating on learning human recipes, and we koorime rarely used flame to prepare our meals anyway so I don't know too many Makai recipes."

"You can watch if you wish, or if Shuuichi-sama will permit it I could visit while he is in school and teach you, while Asuka studies with Genkai-shihan. She might prefer that to her original idea, since she seems to be fascinated with Asuka's element." Yukina had collected beef from the fridge as they were speaking, and Youko set the vegetables and seasonings to grow swiftly without him while he went looking for some small game, grabbing the excuse to use his fox form. He doubted that his dishes would remind Hiei of home, even if he didn't know much about the other youkai's past he did know that the fire youkai tended to just roast his meat with a blast of youki if he had it to spare, and eat it raw if he didn't - a legacy of a life where, at least at first, he couldn't afford to betray his position with a fire, no matter how well hidden it was, Youko assumed.

He managed to catch two rabbits swiftly enough, using the grass to help by tangling around their legs holding them in place for him to break the necks with one swift bite and returned to the kitchen so he could prepare them. His plants had no aversion to offal, not the way humans did, so he packed the parts he couldn't use in the recipe into a plastic bag before he turned to Yukina.

"Yukina-san, could you freeze this so that I can take it home for my plants?"

"Of course. Here, I'll put it in the freezer for when you leave. But, for your plants?"

"I use carnivorous plants to light and heat our apartment, it feels better than using ningen methods. And it works better as well."

"I see, Akari-san." That was the last thing they spoke about until they'd finished cooking and Yukina went for Genkai.

0

Youko froze for a second as he brought one tray through to the main room when he saw Shuuichi waiting there with the rest of the Tantei. he hadn't sensed his Patron. The others, yes, but not his Patron and that was wrong, if anything it should have been the other way around.

"A beautiful woman like you shouldn't have to carry a heavy tray like that. I, Kuwabara, will take it for you." And the redhead immediately stood to carry the tray to the table for him. "What is your name beautiful one?" Youko was _not_ going to laugh at Kuwabara, who was probably the most honourable of the Tantei, not even when he staggered under the - obviously unexpected - weight of the tray.

"Akari." He bowed his head, to hide the fact that he was biting his lip in an effort not to laugh. He'd seen how silly Kuwabara got around women, but he'd never expected to have it directed at him. "Thank you. I can get the other tray if you're taking this one." He turned to go before he lost control and actually _did_ laugh at the ningen - who didn't deserve it.

"You shouldn't have to. Urameshi, a real man would offer to help her." At least Yuusuke didn't move, he knew better than to assume girls were weak.

"She doesn't _need_ my help, she's a demon, she's probably stronger than you are." Youko heard that as he left, and wondered if Kuwabara had thought he was human. "Anyway, you don't do that for Yukina."

He snorted as he passed out of earshot. _Yukina_ had the sense to split the meals up onto three or four trays - and besides Hiei would probably kill Kuwabara if he took too many 'liberties' with his sister. Not that either of them understood what Kuwabara was after on more than an intellectual level - and he doubted Yukina even understood it _that_ much. He wasn't being fair, he knew. It wasn't as if sex was the only thing Kuwabara wanted, or even the most important thing; he really did love Yukina, it just wasn't in any way she could understand, because sexual desire _was_ part of that love.

Youko met Yukina on his way back from the kitchen with the second tray.

"Oh! Akari-san, you should have waited for me to get back and help. And you shouldn't carry so much at once."

"I'm just lazy enough to prefer making two trips with heavy trays to six or more with the lighter trays you wanted." Youko shrugged, careful not to tilt the tray. It wasn't actually that heavy, Shuuichi had fought in the Dark Tournament with a weight heavier than the tray attached to each limb. "And it isn't as if I need to pass as human here. They aren't that heavy to me."

"It _looks_ heavy, Akari-san."

"It is heavy, Yukina-san. And if you'd waited I'd have carried it for you." Youko let Kuwabara take the tray from him without protest. He knew that Yuusuke wouldn't have found it heavy, but most ningen would have had to carry it as a pair. He tended to forget that koorime weren't actually that much stronger than ningen on a physical level, because _Hiei_ was as strong as he was.

'I forgot, koorime tend not to be naturally much stronger than ningen. I'm sorry if I embarrassed you, Yukina.' He had a moment to decide between paying attention to what was being said aloud, and starting a second mental conversation with his Patron. The second option won out, it had to, he knew that his master had been puzzling over what Hiei's father might be for a while. 'Shuuichi-sama?'

'You didn't embarrass me Youko-san.' Yukina was quick to reassure him. 'I was always a bit stronger than the other koorime, even though I'm smaller, but I'm not strong enough to fight the way you Tantei do. When would it be a good time to ask if you can come and teach me about Makai cooking, do you think?'

'What is it Youko? What do you have to say that you can't let anyone else hear?'

'After Genkai finishes her little joke, and the ningen realise who I am. But I should ask him telepathically first, it would be a bad idea to surprise him with the suggestion. Would you like me to help you improve your strength then as well?'

'A few things. You wondered about Hiei's father, considering how strong he is, physically, and that Yukina just told me she's stronger than most koorime that way, he has to be from a race that tends towards more natural strength than most. Also, she wants me to teach her to cook Makai dishes, and possibly improve her strength, while you're at school. Should I tell her to ask?'

'Please. I sometimes wish...' But Yukina was too polite to complain about the restrictions she had to accept to live in the ningenkai, at least to Youko.

'Tell her she can ask when the ningen figure out that you belong to me. That was a good idea you had. I don't think we ever had much to do with koorime, so it didn't stick that they're not that much stronger than humans. You might want to start paying attention to the verbal conversation some time soon. I can't cover for you all the time.'

'You can ask him when it comes out who I am.' He hastily ended his conversation with Yukina, and glanced up from the food he'd been eating on autopilot. He'd been luxuriating in the casual way Shuuichi was petting his pony-tail from time to time, and pulling it forward over his right shoulder for easier access, but he only now noticed the equally casual touches their Patron was giving Asuka's braid where she sat on _his_ right. Both gestures were a display of control, as well as affection, but the boys didn't seem to realise that.

"...dishonourable, cheating on Youko like that."

"Yeah, Kurama. I get you need Asuka to teach you things Youko didn't learn, even if I don't get _why_ he didn't learn them. But do you have to sleep with her to get that? And Akari..." Yuusuke trailed off, sudden realisation dawning in his eyes, "Akari is Youko, isn't he? What's with the cross-dressing? And why didn't you _say_ something?"

"We were waiting for you to figure it out, Dimwit. It took you long enough."

"Kaasan wanted a daughter." Youko shrugged as he spoke, glancing at Shuuichi to confirm that it was alright to tell the others about it. "And I've done this before."

"I bedded Asuka because it was the only way to complete my claim on her as my concubine. Some types of slave are bound magically as well as legally, and some aren't. When I bought her she was the second type, now she's the first." Shuuichi sounded like he was giving a lecture on the subject. "To balance the effects of the bond I can't sell her, or actually kill her, when I get tired of her I'm obliged to free her. Other types of bond can be transferred, this one can't, so it's a semi-permanent arrangement. If it was shorter term she'd be a courtesan, but my obligations would be pretty much the same, with the addition that I'd have to pay her."

"Kurama-san, Youko mentioned that he could teach me how to cook Makai dishes, and improve my strength while you were at school. Would you mind?"

"Not this Friday, he's coming to dinner with Kaasan and me - and she invited me to bring Asuka along as well. And if Kaasan wants to spend time with him that comes first."

"Not before Asuka's training. She'll be training with me while Akari works with Yukina."

"As you wish Genkai-shihan, but on Sundays she will be teaching us the kitsune abilities we never learned before we died."

"Then I could concentrate on the Dimwit...that would work." This seemed like the best time to bring it up, so...

"Shuuichi-sama, might I explore the forest in fox form while you are training?"

"You'll spar against me for an hour. If you do well enough you can go and play. You can take your humanoid form for our spar if you want, I know I will. But you do need to learn how to fight in human form as well."

"Dressed like this?"

"You only actually need to look female when you're visiting Kaasan, or using the IDs and other stuff that ties into the computer systems. And you are allowed to buy clothes you can fight in if you don't want to make them."

"I-I thought..." He couldn't work out what to say.

"Kaasan assumed things. But you'd best look female if we're out on a date."

"Yes Shuuichi-sama." If his Patron wanted to show him off that meant, but it was a good feeling, knowing that Shuuichi thought he was worth displaying.

0

He was wearing a yukata, again, plain and dark red this time, but he wore zori, and he didn't bother with the false breasts, make-up, or doing anything with his hair. He didn't have to pretend around Yukina, and that was a relief, as well as a chance to get more used to wearing human form for fighting, but his Patron's choice of clothing for him wasn't best suited for fighting in. He _had_ to get to work on making some clothes that he could fight in, for both his human and his half and half forms. That or buy something that would work. He frowned as he made his way up the steps to Genkai's temple, there _were_ feminine clothes that he'd be able to fight in, but he'd probably have to buy them on account, and that meant he'd have to explain it to Shuuichi.

No, he wouldn't, Shuuichi had already given him permission to buy fighting gear, he just forgot because all his previous Patrons had required him to dress with an emphasis on how he looked - and they never gave him as many clothes as Shuuichi had. The yukata Shuuichi had him wear weren't even that revealing, they just lent themselves well to cross-dressing. It had been a surprise since when he'd been living in Shuuichi's dreamscape all he'd been permitted to wear were a few scraps of silk, less than any previous Patron had him wear routinely, and even that only when Shuuichi bothered dressing him.

He shook his head, dismissing the differences between the way Shuuichi treated him in the dreamscape, and the way he treated him in the waking world. It wasn't something he needed to think about, and besides he needed to focus on helping Yukina. Shuuichi had promised to find someone who'd make an armoured vest to Yukina's measurements, and have it delivered to Genkai's temple, and that would be a start in strength training on a physical level, along with magically weighted wristbands and anklets later on, after he'd had the chance to make a shopping trip to the Makai, _if_ Shuuichi would permit, and could arrange it. He hadn't used those methods to increase his strength, but he'd seen other demons use them, and ningen too, so they should be effective.

"Hello Youko-san. Asuka-san, Genkai-shihan is waiting for you behind the temple."

"Thank you Yukina-san." The vixen left to find her teacher, leaving Youko behind with Yukina.

"What do you want to do first Yukina-san? Learn how to cook a Makai meal - or at least a meal like I used to prepare - or start working on improving your strength?"

"Genkai-shihan will be expecting a meal around noon, could we prepare whatever you plan to teach me for then?" Yukina seemed to enjoy doing these things for Genkai, she acted as if it was just fair repayment for the shelter and protection the psychic offered. He'd told her that his recipes favoured small game animals, so they'd have more than enough time to do strength exercises in the four hours before they needed to have a meal ready.

"We can spend three hours working on your strength then, even that's stretching it a bit, but part of that will be measuring you for an armoured vest. Wearing it will help you with strength training, and it will also be useful as a measure of protection if you think you need it. What sort of meat do you have?" It would be a lot easier for him to grow the appropriate plants if he could allow a slower ki-feed to them, over three hours or so.

"You said small game animals, and then you mentioned the sort of thing any fox might catch, so I thought...mice, Youko-san?"

"That will be nice Yukina-san." He stopped to plant the appropriate seasonings and other plants that would work with the mice, he wasn't sure which dish he wanted to use, so he prepared for all the possibilities. "Humans have such strange ideas on what it's appropriate to eat, and what they shouldn't eat. They act as if eating mice is below them or something. I remember how upset Kaasan was when we prepared a meal for her using rat meat."

"Didn't it taste good?"

"We thought it did. You're sure Genkai-shihan won't mind eating mice?"

"She suggested the mice Youko-san. Can we work on my strength here?" They'd reached the edge of the forest while they were speaking, Youko hadn't noticed.

"If you want. There's two aspects to strength for anyone who can use their energy properly. There's pure physical strength, based on muscle mass and density, and then there's the ability to use ki or youki to merge with the physical to strengthen it, or increase speed, or that sort of thing. Kitsune are naturally quite a bit stronger than humans on a purely physical level, so I'm not really as good at using my youki to reinforce my strength as Yuusuke and Kuwabara are, especially since all of my training focused on my plants - and on how _good_ things look." Yes, it was vanity, but looking good at all times had been ingrained into him by the three hundred years he'd spent as a concubine after his clan perished, and it was something kitsune tended towards anyway. "But I do know the basics." He focused and let all the physical reinforcement he was using - which wasn't much at the moment - drop away. "For the physical, I know a few exercises that will work, and others that should be coupled with them to improve speed and flexibility, and constantly wearing or carrying weights works as well. For the other, _look_ at me, with your senses as well as your eyes, and then try to form your youki into the same sort of patterns as mine."

Yukina obeyed, she didn't do very well, but they spent an hour working on that, followed by an hour of the physical strength exercises, like push ups, curls, lunges and other things, and finally they went back to the temple so he could spend an hour measuring her, fully and precisely.

0

'I want you to look like a female when I get to your apartment. I should be there in half an hour.' Youko started from his efforts to create an illusory goban when his master contacted him. He didn't understand, not that he needed to, all he had to do was obey but still...

'Do you want me to wear make-up as well Shuuichi-sama?' He'd asked Himura if he really needed the make-up to look feminine, he'd always tended towards the androgynous, it was a trait all kitsune shared. She'd said no, but it would be good for formal occasions. That was why he'd worn it on Sunday, along with one of the two embroidered yukata Shuuichi had bought him. He'd just used one of the six plain yukata to meet with Kaasan because he'd wanted so much to be accepted as part of her family.

'As long as you look female I don't care. But I'm taking you to be fitted for two formal kimono, the tailor told me that he's reached the stage where he needs to measure you.' He hadn't expected that, and he began desperately calculating whether or not he'd be able to get a shower before his Patron arrived. If he was quick he could manage it. He knew that formal kimono were expensive even when they were just bought off the shelf, what must it be costing for his Patron to have two custom made for him?

Once he'd finished cleaning himself he decided not to put the red yukata back on, leaving it and the black obi that he'd worn with it for Asuka to wash. Instead he pulled his violet yukata over his body, arranging it and tying the purple obi to hide the fact that his curves were faked. He had just enough time to at least do his eyes and lips, he judged, he didn't want to look as if he didn't care about appearing pleasing for his master, that would reflect badly on Shuuichi. He was just glad he'd removed his nail polish the night before, it had been the wrong colour to work with the yukata _and_ it had chipped far too easily, there had to be some trick he'd missed somewhere.

"You look good, my pet. And it's interesting that you chose the violet. That's the colour of one of the two kimono I'm having made for you."

"Thank you, Shuuichi-sama. Will there be any trouble because I'm not really female?"

"No, I'm paying enough that he'll keep quiet about it, besides I found him through a yakuza contact." Shuuichi picked up Youko's geta and held them out for him before getting his own shoes.

"Oh, so he's not going to risk gossiping about you." Youko bit his lip as he realised that he might have been indiscrete, and prepared to follow two steps behind his master through the streets. He didn't expect to be grabbed by the wrist and pulled forward to walk beside Shuuichi, but it wasn't something he'd challenge.

"By the way, how are your lessons going?" Youko bit his lip nervously, this was getting into dangerous territory, Shuuichi had _not_ been happy with Youko's rate of progress in learning how to create things within the dreamscape, and he seemed to have completely mastered the art of creating illusions, to almost any size and complexity. Youko's illusions _still_ didn't look that much like what they were supposed to be, but there was one thing he'd managed that would appease his Patron, he hoped. He lifted his free hand and focused on creating the illusion of a small imp in it, letting just enough additional youki slip into it to form a false signature, before handing it over to his master.

"Should I recognise the species?" Youko flushed at the dry tone in Shuuichi's voice, but at least he couldn't sense any contempt. In fact there was a thin thread of approval there.

"No, I'm not good enough to get something like that right yet, but..." If he had to say it then that meant...

"You _have_ succeeded in simulating a ki-signature, I noticed. It isn't very good, it reads almost like an incompetent attempt at disguising a signature, but it makes up for a lot. You did well." Youko found himself preening under that little bit of praise. There hadn't been anyone who _mattered_ to him enough for their praise to have any value for so long...not since his clan had died, not really. Once or twice he'd cared what his Patrons thought of him, but not after he'd realised all they ever valued in him was how good he was to show off, or fuck. "What sort of reward would you like?"

That was such a shock that he stopped dead in the street, staring at his master. None of his Patrons had ever asked him that sort of question. When they felt it was worth rewarding him - which was rare enough, perhaps once a decade if that - they would just give him a piece of jewellery, or some new fancy clothes, they'd never think about what he'd like. And Shuuichi was already spending a lot on him. He knew that ningen felt they needed more things than most youkai did, but still...

He didn't move until Shuuichi pulled him to start moving again. "Why are you so surprised? Gaining more power isn't its own reward for you like it is for me. And I didn't expect you to try this until you'd mastered the other aspects, that earns you something you'd enjoy."

"I've never had a Patron ask me what I'd like before. Might I have some kifu papers, and notebooks? You can get them from the Go Institute, I checked." What he really wanted was a goban, but considering that even a cheap folding goban cost 10 000 yen or more he wasn't going to ask. Shuuichi looked at him curiously when he heard what Youko wanted, but he still agreed.

"If Kaasan's happy with her new 'daughter' on Friday I'll take you to visit some Go Salons once a week."

0

Youko hadn't expected this, and he gazed at the work the sturdy tailor had brought out in astonishment. There were two obi, each with a pattern woven into them, one of violet vines on a soft blue background and the other of blue roses woven into a shade of grey something like the feathers of a pigeon. Those weren't too surprising, even if he hadn't expected patterns so precisely themed to his powers, and one of the kimono was just as normal, a single under-kimono in a dusky pink, like one of his yukata, and the over-kimono in violet with pink rose vines woven into the silk, both partially made up, but clearly incomplete - the blue obi went with that kimono. It was the other kimono that was the shock. There were _four_ under-kimono, in alternating shades of blue and grey, from white, through a really pale grey, to the slightly darker ice blue, and finally a dove grey that was still paler than the sky blue of the over-kimono - embroidered with silver foxes - and it felt as if the thread was _made_ of silver, or white gold, it was heavy enough, and the outfit would be completed with the grey obi, the darkest part of the costume. Everything was made of silk, the heaviest used for the obi and over-kimono, a lighter silk for the dusky pink under-kimono and the lightest and finest of all for the other under-kimono.

"They're beautiful." And they were. Youko could hardly imagine when he'd be somewhere important enough for him to wear them, and Shuuichi wasn't the sort who liked seeing his property dressed up just for him. He could wear the lesser kimono - although it was only lesser in comparison to the blue kimono - to Kaasan's wedding, but the other would mean he overshadowed the most important person there. "But...I don't have the faintest idea of how to put them on properly." He turned to his master, deliberately letting his eyes go wide and helpless, hoping that it would amuse Shuuichi rather than anger him.

It did, his Patron laughed and kissed him. "That's one reason you're here now. Do you have someone to help my concubine into his new kimono for the final fitting, or are you going to do it yourself?" He turned to look at the tailor with unconscious arrogance.

"I can do it, or one of my daughters can, whichever you feel more comfortable with."

'Which would you prefer my pet?' Youko hadn't expected to hear a question like that from his Patron. He knew that he no longer had the right to decide who saw his body and who didn't, that was his Patron's now.

'Whoever would be _better_ at it.' He made the only practical decision; he knew he couldn't use his telekinesis to help himself get dressed here, but hopefully he'd learn what was right now.

"I hardly need to worry about you taking him from me. Competence matters most. Now start the fitting." The tailor seemed to decide something about how to treat Youko then.

"Yes, sir. If you would undress?" He was polite in addressing Youko, but totally impersonal, and he must have concluded that fitting the kimono in front of Shuuichi was the best way to avoid trouble. Youko agreed with him, and obeyed swiftly - it wasn't as if he expected anyone to believe he had a sense of modesty.

They started with the blue and grey outfit, and Youko had to endure the tailor fitting and pining at each layer, still he was sure he'd be able to replicate this with his telekinesis, and if he _couldn't_ Shuuichi would have to find some way for Asuka to learn how to help him. Kimono weren't a kitsune style of dress, so he doubted she would already know what to do, although she could have learned in that brothel. When he was dressed he turned to his Patron, instead of looking for a mirror. It wasn't _his_ opinion that mattered after all.

"You look delicious, but you'll need to practise with the sleeves." They were awkward, and Youko bowed his head in acknowledgement. "Fit the other one now."

That was approved as well, and as Youko was getting dressed again in his yukata Shuuichi turned to the tailor again.

"Now, where is the selection of fabrics I asked for?"

"If you'll come with me sir?" Youko followed a few steps behind when Shuuichi gave him an expectant look. The room they were brought to was filled with bolts of silk in different shades of turquoise, mostly tending towards the blue end of the spectrum, and just a touch darker than the grey of the obi to the more elaborate costume.

"Pick whichever colour you want for your haori, my pet." Youko glanced at Shuuichi in disbelief, his newest Patron kept on giving him freedoms no other had, and still dominating him like no other. He quickly shook it off, and turned to the silks, finally deciding on a shade that looked like peacock feathers - usually a greeny blue, but almost purple when the light hit it right.

"Good choice. I want a five-tailed kitsune embroidered on the inside of the haori, in the same thread as the foxes on the blue kimono."

"Yes sir." And other than a few formalities that was that.

0


	5. Chapter 5

Youko knew that he couldn't afford to wait for Genkai to finish training Asuka before he went looking for some fighting outfits, not if he wanted to finish before Shuuichi was out of school. And he knew better than to risk not being available for his Patron's pleasure. He wished that he could go and play in the forest until it was time for him to escort Asuka home, since Genkai understood at least a little of the restrictions they lived under she'd promised to make sure they could get back in time to wait for Shuuichi. It didn't matter as much for Asuka, she'd been bought as a teacher more than anything else, but she'd still have to get back to the apartment before Shuuichi arrived, by herself.

"Would you like me to come with you and help you find something to fight in Youko-san?" It was sweet of Yukina to offer, but her taste in anything but kimono made her look like a paedophile's wet dream and he knew she was only offering from duty.

"I appreciate the offer, but you're not a fighter and I'll probably get done more quickly by myself." Besides which Hiei would be pissed if she left Genkai's temple without one of the bodyguards he'd approved of, and even if Shuuichi was on that list Youko wasn't sure that _he_ was. In fact he rather suspected the opposite, who'd trust a concubine with anything important?

"If that's what you want, Youko-san. I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Yes, Yukina-san. We could do something with pigeons or deer tomorrow?"

"I'll see what I can get. Goodbye, Youko-san."

"Goodbye, Yukina-san." And then he started off into Tokyo, checking how much cash he had left from what Shuuichi had given him last week. He hadn't spent as much of it as he'd thought shopping with Himura, he had almost two thirds left, so a couple of pairs of leather pants weren't out of the realm of the possible.

The first place he went to specialised in motorcycling leathers, he had the feeling that somewhere like that would give the best armouring qualities, and he was probably right, but...

"Do you have anything that isn't mostly black?" He looked good in black, but it wasn't his favourite colour to wear.

"No, sir, we don't."

"Then I'd like to try these on." A pair of pants, a jacket, and a vest, they'd cost about a third of his budget put together and he didn't really like the weight of them, even if he was a kitsune his fighting style depended more on speed and reading his opponent than strength - fortunately, because in terms of pure strength he and Shuuichi had to be the weakest of the Tantei. But they didn't feel as heavy on as he'd expected them to, and _Shuuichi_ was the one who had that ridiculously high pain threshold, his was high, but nowhere near what his Patron could handle. And despite his reputation he'd avoided fights as much as he could, partly by making the consequences of crossing him horrific even by Makai standards, and defeating even higher classed demons, by trickery more than power. The clothes didn't exactly look bad on him either, so...

"I'll take them, and another pair of pants like this."

"Cash?" The salesman sounded surprised by that, and for a moment Youko thought about explaining, then he decided that no, the human had no need to know.

"Is that a problem? Or are you willing to give a discount if I'm paying in cash perhaps? Say...five percent off?" He knew that wasn't going to happen, but he enjoyed the way the man got all flustered, and hurried through completing the sale, especially after Youko looked pointedly at the clock. He'd taken almost an hour just to buy these, and they weren't really enough, no matter how decadent it made him feel to have so many outfits already.

The next thing he got was a selection of loose cotton shirts in shades of red, amber and grey, along with two pairs of simple black jeans, because the heavy denim might work to give some protection where lighter fabrics wouldn't. Still, he wasn't sure how well he'd be able to move in them, and when he found a shop that sold gi he immediately bought two before he had to return to the apartment.

Asuka was waiting for him, sitting in front of the door in fox form, still wearing her collar, her leash in her mouth, but hidden by an illusion. He could tell that she was unhappy with how long she'd been waiting, but she didn't snap at him the way he'd half expected, instead she just swallowed the clear disregard he'd shown for her - even if he _would_ have come to let her in if she'd just contacted him.

"What did you get?" She somehow managed to just sound eager to see his new things, and he couldn't even sense any resentment from her through his empathy.

"This for you, for a start." It was just a cheap silver necklace with a foxhead pendant, but from the smile on her face you'd think it was platinum and diamonds. Than he began to show her all his new clothes, before getting out his sewing.

_"Dress as a woman tomorrow."_ Shuuichi had been pleased with Youko's choice of clothes, he'd made that very clear when he'd delivered the promised kifu papers and notebooks yesterday. He'd insisted on Youko modelling everything for him, letting him know every time that he looked pleasing, but also commenting on the other aspects of the outfits, the impressions they'd give, and he'd left some more cash to replace some of what he'd spent. Still, Youko wished that he knew _why_ he'd been told to look like a woman today.

But his master's reasons didn't matter, and he was appropriately dressed in his pale grey yukata, and writing up a game he'd played with Sai when Shuuichi arrived that afternoon.

"Here." Youko picked the sheaf of documents Shuuichi had thrown at him up from his lap and looked through them. They were all forms of identification, and all the other things that came along with living in the ningenkai.

"I wondered why Himura-san insisted that I use one of those photo booths after she'd dressed me up and done my make-up. Was it 'her' Patron the one who supplied these?"

"No, that would have given him too much possibility of leverage. I just got the pictures from 'her'. Your new ID's been entered into all the official computers, that's what took so long, now I can arrange accounts for you. Read through the information and memorise it, then build around it, I'm sure you know how."

"Now Shuuichi-sama?" He doubted it, his Patron didn't get any particular enjoyment from seeing him looking female, so he had to be planning to take Youko somewhere, and introduce him as Akari.

"No, put them away safely and get ready to go out." He only then seemed to notice what Shuuichi had been doing when he arrived. "Are you enjoying your reward my pet?"

"Very much Shuuichi-sama. I can already play Net-Go via the internet connection you've permitted us to use, and with these I can record kifu while I play. At least if it isn't Speed-Go." He smiled at his master, the explanation all too obviously lost on him, before he finished obeying his command.

"You bought Asuka a necklace yesterday. I didn't bother to get either of you any jewellery. Should I have?" Shuuichi wrapped his arm around Youko's waist as he questioned him. Not every Patron bothered giving jewellery to their concubines, usually only if they enjoyed seeing it on them, and Shuuichi didn't really care about that, so...

"Only if it pleases you Shuuichi-sama. Asuka was so pleased, I think because whores don't get jewellery, and it was another thing that symbolised her improved position." Except there was one thing. "But...you might wish to give me jewellery if you wish me to attend any formal events with you, so I will not shame you."

"I'll commission some pieces to go with your formal kimono. By the way, you'll be wearing the black yukata to dinner with my mother, and I'll get you something simple to go with that."

"Thank you Shuuichi-sama." Youko forced himself to smile gratefully at him, even if he didn't want the jewellery he knew that he had to _act_ as if he did. It was expected of a concubine to desire jewellery, and he'd always wanted it before, since he'd be allowed to keep it when he was freed, and that would give him something to live on if he couldn't support himself. But, now he was the most accomplished thief in the Makai, and until he'd died he'd been so feared that no one would use his name, so it felt more than a little degrading to be given pieces of jewellery so he could decorate his Patron's arm.

"I know, it's insulting, the implication that your only purpose is to look good for me, but you brought up a valid point. And I need to get Asuka some nice jewellery as well, don't I?"

"Yes, but..." If the jewellery he gave her was _too_ expensive then it would affect Youko's position, and Asuka might start making assumptions. The situation was unusual enough in that she was teaching them both, or supposed to be, even if she was weaker than they were, and their Patron wasn't fucking her.

"Some cheapish pieces just because, and the more expensive stuff as a reward for teaching us, when you learn how to make perfect illusions for instance." That was a breathtaking idea. And she couldn't see it as a sign of their Patron favouring her over him, because she'd be given something he chose, while Shuuichi would probably _ask_ Youko what he wanted.

They spent three hours at the bank and going around various stores opening accounts for Youko to use, so he could buy all sorts of things, from clothes, to books, to food.

"From now on you're responsible for getting the groceries in for you two."

"Asuka, come here." The vixen broke from her stretches in surprise at hearing her Patron call for her. He really wasn't interested in her at all sexually, just in her knowledge, he usually had Youko pleasure him. And despite that Youko had been generous enough to give her a _necklace_ yesterday. She shook her head, it didn't matter how much her Patron preferred his other concubine, when he called her she was to come, and she was pulling her fingers through her mane in a motion most of her clients had found alluring as she entered the central room. It wasn't affecting Shuuichi, and she swiftly crossed the room to kneel in front of him.

"What is your wish Shuuichi-sama?"

"Give me your hand, your right hand." She didn't understand, but she lifted her hand as commanded. He slid two rings on her fingers, both silver, one onto her first finger set with an opal, the second, onto her third finger was just silver, shaped into a foxhead. "Now the left hand." She obeyed with a sense of mystified wonder. She'd known she was just here as a teacher, she hadn't expected any jewellery, not even silver like these, and she'd already learned that rings had a special meaning for ningen, from the TV Youko had introduced her to. This new ring was silver too, two hands clasping an onyx heart that was crowned with silver. He slid it onto the middle finger of her hand slowly, the point of the heart away from her hand.

"This is called a Claddagh ring. If it's worn with the point towards you it means you're claimed; away from you and it's just a good friend." He wasn't wearing one himself, but when she glanced at Youko she could see that he was wearing a ring like hers, but gold, with a ruby heart, pointed towards him. And he was showing it off ever so subtly - a five-tail, showing off a gift from a four-tail, almost like he was warning her off or something.

"Thank you, Shuuichi-sama." Asuka hoped that her Patron could see the depths of her gratitude for this unexpected boon.

"Go, check on Youko's illusions, then come back to me I have questions I wish to ask of you."

She nodded and moved over to where the other was waiting.

"Can you create an illusion, as a demonstration?" She wasn't sure what his illusion was meant to be, but she could see where the problems lay, and she tried to explain what he'd done wrong, and what he needed to do instead, even if her methods wouldn't really work for him. Youko listened to her, showing the respect she'd give any teacher of hers, and tried again, showing some improvement at least. Not much, but... "You're improving faster than most do as far as I can tell. No one's ever tried learning all the stages of illusion at once before, not as a practical matter. We all learn them all at once as theory of course, but I was told not to expect to master any stage of my powers in less than a year." Youko looked shocked at that. He shouldn't have been, he'd told her himself that it took twenty years to gain control of his abilities with plants, even if that was a more significant power, but it seemed he was.

"And of course Shuuichi-sama masters it instantly." Then he tilted his head and laughed. "No, that isn't accurate, is it. He spent fifteen years learning how to control his personal dreamscape, and that carried over to creating illusions." Asuka couldn't hide her gasp at Youko's mention of controlling dreams, but he seemed to dismiss it. "If our Patron has things he wishes to ask you, then you should go to him. I can continue practising without the need for supervision." He smiled at her then, eyes straying back to his efforts at illusion and she obeyed the implied order.

Shuuichi was sitting seiza, paper and pen in front of him, and she took her place opposite him.

"Your will, Shuuichi-sama?" She only dared prompt him when she realised he'd been lost in thought.

"First, would it be easier for you to teach us both shapeshifting together, or to just teach one pupil at a time?"

"I think, to just teach one at a time Shuuichi-sama." It wasn't something she'd considered before, but her teachers had always taught her one on one when it came to magic, then allowed their pupils to practise alone.

"Then I should start learning now, so you're free to teach Youko when he finally manages to master illusions. Secondly, I want you to explain what sort of powers are ascribed to the kitsune of legend, ones with five tails or more. Just general terms, not specific ones."

"In general terms then, there are two groups of powers kitsune are said to gain, first powers associated with dreams, dreamwalking and dreamscapes, and secondly the ability to heal using sex."

"Forget that." Shuuichi scowled at the idea. "We have a healer connected to us already, and the humans on the team are strictly hetero, while Hiei's as asexual as a Koorime.

"Tell me about these abilities linked to dreams."

"The simplest is merely to dreamwalk, gained with the sixth tail. The only thing the seventh tail grants is the ability to control one person's dreams, or so legend has it - that might not be accurate. With the eighth tail it is said a kitsune gains the ability to control many people's dreams at once, and to trap any one person in a dreamscape. And with the final tail legend has it that a kitsune can trap as many as he desires within a dreamscape, and force anyone hurt there to be equally hurt when they get back to the real world."

"I see. Well, for now you can start my lessons in shapeshifting. What's the first point?"

"The most essential part of this is visualisation, being aware of both the external, and as much of the internal structure of whatever you seek to change into as possible." And Asuka began trying desperately to remember her own long ago lessons.

Friday, the day Shiori-sama was to judge his appearance as a female, and how suitable he was to belong to Shuuichi. Youko took great care with his appearance, wrapping his black yukata, and tying the obi with as much skill as he possessed, the sort of skill he'd learned when Shuuichi took him to be fitted for his formal kimono. Shiori wouldn't approve of make-up that was too outrageous, so just subtle greys around the eyes, and a amber shade of lipstick. He resisted the temptation to paint his nails black, or even red to match the obi, settling for a discrete shade of silver-grey, carefully understated. He looked in the mirror, anxiously inspecting his appearance for any flaw in the illusion. The only thing he could see was possibly how the yukata closed over his 'breasts', possibly covering a bit too much, but also not lying exactly right, even if he couldn't quite tell what was wrong. In the end he shrugged mentally and gave up on trying to work out what was wrong. He had managed to fool Yuusuke and Kuwabara about his gender, even if it was because they tended not to pay too much attention they still had senses most humans didn't. But he wouldn't settle for a simple pony tail today.

"Asuka, come here and put my hair up for me!" Telepathy might have been easier than shouting for her, but he didn't see the point in using it while they were in the same apartment, and a small apartment at that, and there was no one present they needed to keep secrets from.

"How do you want me to style your hair for you then?"

"Something elegant, but not too elaborate. Shiori-sama would not approve of anything too elaborate I do not think, and I am trying to obtain her approval. It would please Shuuichi-sama if she approves of me. And probably if she approves of you as well, but I do not think that her approval is as important to you as it is to me."

"I don't think so either." Asuka sounded almost amused at the idea. "I mean, I want her to approve of me if it will please our Patron, but you seem to want her approval for its own sake. _Why_ would you care so much about a human's approval?"

"I can't explain it to you, but remember, my clan died before I learned the things you're teaching us." A carefully misleading answer, it would give her part of the answer, he wanted to feel part of a family, but not why, or what made Shiori-sama so special. When she'd let herself be scarred to protect Shuuichi...that had been the thing that broke through the other's careful indifference to her, and that had won his own heart. "Weren't you supposed to be doing my hair?" It wasn't a subtle change of conversation, but it worked and she began working on his hair.

"Do you have anything to help me put this up?"

"In the black oak box." Things that Himura had suggested he get, mostly cheap stuff, and some hair ornaments that Shuuichi had got for him on Wednesday. "Use the silver combs or pins decorated with amber if you can." It should work well enough with what he was wearing, and he had the feeling that Shuuichi would want to show his mother how well he was capable of keeping his property - the rest of his hair things were plastic or steel.

"You're lucky that I learned a bit about how to do this in the brothels. In one any whore hurt too badly to be used was required to serve the ones who could be sold this way, and Inu expected us to be able to style one another's hair if it was something a client desired." She sounded almost...

"Did you like belonging to Inu?"

"Not exactly, but...of the brothels I'd been in, it was the best in some ways. Punishments were harsher there, but a lot of the things he punished us for none of the others had...like fighting among ourselves." Her hands stilled for a moment, and he was sure she was shrugging. "Once I learned the rules it offered the best life of all the brothels. I was terrified when I heard I was being sold, even more when I learned what the buyer was and what he already owned. I _owe_ him, and I'll do everything in my power to repay him." A strong sense of honour then, not uncommon among kitsune, he'd been an exception in that as well, and of course there were some cases where almost all kitsune felt honour did not apply. Such as when dealing with anyone who kept a kitsune slave of their clan, even one acquired legitimately, except when that slave was a concubine.

"I'm done, is it acceptable?"

"I don't know, get another mirror so I can check the back." It looked good from the front drawn back away from Youko's face, but he could still feel perhaps half of it tumbling down his back. When Asuka got back with the mirror Youko could see she'd drawn half of it up into an elegant pleat, held with a couple of the silver combs, and let the rest tumble out of the pleat. It looked good, very sophisticated, hopefully what Shiori-sama would approve of in her son's concubine.

Asuka was very amused by his behaviour, and it showed. Youko wasn't sure what to think of that, on one hand it was probably harder to learn from a teacher who was afraid of you, but on the other hand, if Asuka wasn't at all scared of him he could lose his top spot.

"Will this be satisfactory to meet our Patron's human mother?"

"Yes." Youko turned and let his eyes rake over her body, barely clad in skin-tight leather pants and a red breast band. "But your attire won't please her. Put something more modest on."

"What do you suggest then?" Asuka was accepting this time, not resentful as he'd half feared she would be.

"Looser pants, or a long skirt, and a blouse or tunic, not too skin tight, but leave a breast band of some sort underneath. And nothing filmy or translucent."

"I suppose you expect me to wear make-up and put my hair up too?"

"Make-up, yes, but do what you want with your hair. She'll probably be predisposed to like you because you actually are female." Youko couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice, and Asuka left to obey. She'd just returned, wearing a black bias cut skirt to her ankles and a dark grey sweater that skimmed over the curves of her body along with all her new jewellery, when Shuuichi arrived to pick them up.

"You look good, both of you." Shuuichi was looking directly at Youko when he started to speak, and the last part sounded almost like an afterthought. "Get into fox form, Asuka. Akari, shut your eyes." When Youko obeyed he heard Shuuichi walk around behind him. His Patron lifted his hair away from the back of his neck, kissing him lightly on the nape and reached around him to fasten some sort of necklace. Then he felt Shuuichi moving him around the room.

"You can open your eyes now." Youko obeyed, finding himself in front of the mirror, a heavy silver - or white gold - cross, set with a black pearl where the arms met, around his neck. It lay just above his fake breasts, and he knew that was what he'd been missing, now his yukata lay just right.

"Thank you Shuuichi-sama."

"Hmm. That helps the illusion, doesn't it? I'll get you a couple of other necklaces like that."

"If you think it would help Shuuichi-sama. Or I could just wear this all the time?"

"No, that would imply a religious affiliation you don't want to claim. Not with the attitude most branches of that particular religion have towards homosexuality. But wearing it occasionally can be seen as a fashion statement. A foxhead like you got Asuka would work, in gold though I think, and I'll come up with something else along with the custom jewellery to go with the formal kimono." Shuuichi was frowning as he thought about it. "Now get your shoes on and we can go."

And he fastened Asuka's leash to her collar before they set off out of the apartment.

Shiori _would_ try to accept the demon who'd corrupted her son but seemed to be so important to him. She'd promised Shuuichi that she would make an effort if...Akari, she was going to call the kitsune Akari, managed to appear convincingly female. She wasn't sure how to feel about this Asuka, Shuuichi had told her about, on the one hand, she was female, even if she couldn't appear human, but...if Shuuichi had _two_ lovers what did that say about his morality? At least both of his lovers knew they weren't the only one, they even lived together. But it was still wrong, Shiori knew that. Men should only sleep with women, and they should only have one lover at a time, if they couldn't stand to wait for marriage.

"Tadaima Kaasan." She sighed and reluctantly stood to greet them. She couldn't hold back a gasp when she saw the elegant, if a bit old-fashioned, young woman walking beside her son. If he'd only brought home _this_ version of his lover the first time...but she still reserved judgement. Being a woman was about more than just appearances, it was about how you acted, spoke and held yourself.

"Shuuichi, Akari-chan." She'd never used the familiar suffix with her son, because it just felt wrong, but using chan for Akari was a deliberate test. She watched as the kitsune blushed modestly, looking grateful and pleased. "You said you'd be bringing this Asuka?"

"We did." Her son bent to stroke the fox he had trailing along behind him on a leash while Akari removed her old-fashioned geta. "She just can't shift to her humanoid form where anyone can see her. I guess she _could_ use illusion to hide her tail and fox ears, but a kitsune's height is too hard to hide. That's why she's restricted to fox form except at my apartment, Genkai-shihan's temple, and here if you choose to have her visit more often."

"Oh, then what do you need so she can change form?" Shiori wasn't entirely clear on exactly what Shuuichi meant for Asuka to do. But she _knew_ that he couldn't be sleeping with a fox, he might be with another boy, but bestiality was another matter entirely.

"Somewhere people won't see her from the streets to shapeshift. I expect that if anyone sees her through the window they'll assume it's a costume, but we can't risk anyone getting a closer look, especially at her ears and tail. You saw what Akari and I look like in our humanoid form."

"Is she as tall as you two are then?" Shiori led her son and his lovers into a back room as she spoke.

"You can see now if you want." Shuuichi bent to unfasten the leash from the black fox's neck and it transformed to a woman, a bit more than six and a half feet tall, dressed with nearly the same elegance as Akari, if in a more modern style. Her fox ears poked up through her loose mane of black hair, and her black tail was difficult to see against her full black skirt, until it twitched that was, and Shiori could see why her son didn't want her looking like this in front of anyone.

"Tell me how you met my son then Asuka."

"I was a whore, a slave in a brothel, in the Makai, and I was locked up in my bedroom as usual. One of the guards told me I was being sold, and my new master wanted to inspect me. I couldn't believe what I saw, a _kitsune_ as powerful as any I'd ever seen, with another kitsune even more powerful kneeling at his feet. Shuuichi-sama asked me if I'd be able to teach other kitsune how to use their powers, when I said yes he sealed the agreement with my old owner, and offered to make me his concubine. I accepted of course."

"Why of course?" Shiori could accept, barely, that slavery still existed in the demon world, but for her son to be involved in it, to the extent of actually _buying_ a slave...

"A concubine is still a slave, but one who will be freed when her Patron tires of her. It meant I'd be kept, safe, fed and clothed for however long Shuuichi-sama wanted me. And when he did tire of me I'd be freed, and I'd be allowed to keep any jewellery he gave me. It would give me a chance at a new life, one where I was free."

"Ah, I see." Shiori could understand Asuka's choice now, but not... "Shuuichi, why did you buy Asuka when you have Akari?"

"Because Akari's clan were killed when she was young, and she didn't learn how to use all her powers. We needed a teacher and still do. I intend to free Asuka when we no longer require teaching." Akari had her eyes cast down to where she'd folded her hands in her lap throughout this conversation, but Shiori had noted the soft pained sound she made when the death of her clan was mentioned.

"Akari-chan, would you like to tell me a bit about yourself and your interests?"

"If you wish it Shiori-sama. After my clan died I became a concubine, until a Patron decided to teach me the basics of Plant Mastery. After he freed me I came to the ningenkai, where I could perfect it more safely - and this is where I met the first lover I chose, and desired myself. His name was Sai, and I learned how to play Go to please him. When I returned to the Makai I became a thief, probably the best in the Makai. Most of my interests aren't really the sort of things that would make sense to a human, but breeding new types of plants was always a hobby of mine, most of them I bred for how useful they were, but one or two were bred for beauty."

"Then you might want to study Ikebana." Shiori wondered how she'd react.

"If it would please you, Shiori-sama, and you, Shuuichi-sama."

"Go ahead, as long as it doesn't detract from you learning the important things. And, later you could probably use that for pin money so to speak, if you wanted."

"Why would you want that? Shuuichi-sama has provided for us so well." Asuka sounded astonished at the idea that Akari would want any independence, it disturbed Shiori.

"It would be a reason to meet people more than anything else I think." Even now Akari had her eyes cast down, submissively.

"Akari-chan, come and help me cook."

"Yes Shiori-sama." By the time they'd finished preparing the stir-fry Shiori had offered to teach Akari the Tea Ceremony, and the kitsune had accepted blushingly. By the end of the visit Shiori had come to begrudgingly accept Akari as her son's lover. It had helped when Asuka mentioned the mix of disappointment and relief she'd felt on learning that she was Shuuichi's concubine in name only.


	6. Chapter 6

"Do you want Akari to visit you on fixed days every week, or would you prefer to make arrangements on a week to week basis Kaasan?" Youko knew that he'd succeeded in his task when he heard Shuuichi make the polite inquiry to his mother as they were preparing to leave. "And do you want Asuka to visit as well?" It was obvious that he only made the last offer from duty, and Youko selfishly hoped that Shiori-sama refused it. His mother was very important to Shuuichi, and her favour would count for a lot in harem politics, even if it was a small harem, he didn't want to have to deal with the politics any more than he had to, even if he half thought the manoeuvrings he was seeing were mostly in his head, from paranoia.

"Why are you trying to make these arrangements Shuuichi? Shouldn't it be something I settle with Akari-chan and Asuka themselves?"

"Not usually. They're my concubines, I'm being unusually generous by Makai standards by not just locking them up somewhere no one will be able to get to them. It's my duty to protect them, and that's a lot easier if I know where they are." That made perfect sense to Youko, but not apparently to Shiori-sama.

"Shuuichi, you will not try to control my social life."

"The other thing is, if you want to make arrangements as you go, you'll have to make them in advance, because Asuka is studying with Genkai-shihan, and Akari is teaching basic self-defence to Genkai-shihan's ward Yukina." And that was a good way to distract her.

"I thought Genkai-shihan was an expert martial artist, and you _said_ she used to be a well-known demon slayer, so why does it have to be Akari teaching Yukina to defend herself?"

"Genkai-shihan doesn't really need another student starting from scratch, and Yukina can defend herself using ki, it's just she wanted to improve her strength as well. Besides, Genkai-shihan can't teach Yukina how to cook Makai recipes, and that's the other thing Akari's teaching her."

"Ah, I see. Then fixed days would probably work better as a rule, I'll ring Akari-chan and tell her when, if you'll give me the phone number?" Youko could tell that his Patron was blushing and he watched from below lowered lashes, enjoying the rare sight.

"I don't actually _know_ what the phone number is, but we can find out, and then Akari can ring you with it. As long as I know what days she'll be visiting you Kaasan, and if Asuka will be doing the same that's all I need to know, I guess." So Shiori-sama could reduce their master to babbling - not a surprise actually, but useful information nonetheless. "I'd like to get them home, so do you want Asuka to visit?"

"Not really. I want you back home by ten mind." That wouldn't give Shuuichi more than two hours with them, at best, since it took at least half an hour to walk from his house to their apartment.

"Yes Kaasan." But Shuuichi had made such a point of being the dutiful son to make his mother happy that he couldn't say anything else, Youko knew that.

Asuka went to her bedroom nice and quietly, without making an issue of it, without even making their Patron tell her to make herself scarce. It was wasted effort since Shuuichi dragged Youko to his own bedroom and lounged on the futon, watching him.

"Undress for me, and make it _good_."

"Might I put some music on Shuuichi-sama?" This was the first time Shuuichi was treating him like a concubine and allowing him to put his skills to use in the waking world as opposed to just pinning him and taking him however he wanted, he'd been permitted to do this sort of thing in the dreamscape, but not in the waking world.

"Go ahead." Shuuichi sounded amused, and that was a _good_ thing, a very good thing. Youko found a song that had the strong beat he needed to do this properly, but that was also slow and sensual enough to inflame his master's senses, and his own. He undressed slowly and teasingly, keeping a careful eye on his Patron's reactions, and increasing his pace when he seemed to be losing patience. Finally, when the only things left of his carefully constructed illusion for Shiori-sama were his elegant hairstyle and subtle make-up, he came and knelt in front of his Patron.

"I want you to wrap those pretty painted lips around my dick and suck me until I come...can you do that my pet?" The unexpected crudity from the ever elegant Shuuichi was unnervingly arousing, Youko could only nod, and he immediately began obeying, opening Shuuichi's pants to get access, and swallowing him without bothering with the usual preliminaries. His Patron didn't come immediately, he made Youko work at it, and after he'd come down Youko's throat he looked at his watch before speaking almost dismissively.

"I don't have time to play anymore. Arrange when you want to see my mother by Sunday, when we'll be visiting Genkai-shihan - and yes, you can play in the forest once you've spent an hour sparring in human form. You can also tell me when you want to visit Go Salons, and if there's any you prefer."

"Yes Shuuichi-sama." Youko had been used to Patrons leaving him wanting, in the days when he'd needed the protection they offered, but not because of something like this, because he'd stripped for them then pleasured them orally. Shuuichi hadn't specifically forbidden affairs among his harem, but...

"Am I permitted to take pleasure with your other concubine?"

"Just remember that she's teaching you as well." Veiled permission, so once their Patron had gone he went to Asuka, and took her, ensuring that she enjoyed it too. If he hadn't...he knew she'd never dare mess up his training since that would anger Shuuichi, but she could easily make it hard, and even shaming for him. But...the look of mixed surprise and gratitude in her eyes afterwards had made it worth pleasing her as well.

Their plans were disrupted on Sunday, the Tantei were assigned their first mission since Youko had been separated from Shuuichi. It was a fairly simple hunt and capture mission, with the slight twist that their target had fled into the ningenkai and managed to ingratiate himself with a gang of low powered demons, half-breeds and humans. The humans were the real problem, if it was just the demons and half-breeds they could use whatever methods they needed to, but the Reikai frowned on _demons_ killing humans, even in self-defence. So they had to make sure it was always Yuusuke or Kuwabara facing and killing the humans, even though it all too obviously grated on Yuusuke's pride and Kuwabara's sense of honour to do that. It didn't entirely make sense either, Yuusuke was the powerhouse of the five of them and Kuwabara could soak up damage every bit as well as a demon could besides having spiritual senses better than anything short of a Jaganshi like Hiei, physically both Youko and Shuuichi were the weakest of the five, but probably the most skilled in the use of their powers and Hiei tried _not_ to use his powers, preferring ningen swordsmanship. They didn't bother to plan besides deciding that, agreeing that the two humans working with them would kill the humans opposing them before facing any demons, and beyond Shuuichi telling him to fight as well as he could in human form, kissing him gently before they set out tracking their target.

Youko ended up walking beside Kuwabara somehow, and Shuuichi noticed it.

'Convince him that his role is honourable, and important. It is, but he doesn't quite see it that way.'

"Kuwabara-san?" He spoke quietly, Yuusuke's senses, both physical and spiritual were barely more than standard human, so that was all he needed to do for discretion's sake. Shuuichi and Hiei wouldn't care about what he was going to say, but it might displease Yuusuke.

"What is it Youko?"

"You do realise that you'll be the one dealing with most of the humans since we demons aren't allowed to kill humans in the ningenkai?" In the Makai of course it would be different, any humans there were considered the rightful prey of any demon who could catch them.

"Not Yuusuke?" He sounded half surprised, and definitely suspicious.

"Yuusuke doesn't have the senses to tell which are humans and which are demons beyond looking at the obvious signs, the externals. I and Shuuichi-sama will have to concentrate on the demons who look like demons mostly, we won't have time to focus enough to tell more than power level, I expect Hiei will focus on the half-breeds since he isn't permitted to kill humans, and Yuusuke will fight anyone who looks human, you'll be the one who can tell which of the ones that look human actually are. Tell us when all the humans are dead, please."

"When the humans are dead I'll attack one who doesn't look or feel human, how's that sound?"

"Good, Kuwabara-san," and he passed that information on to Shuuichi, "but if there isn't a demon like that convenient?" Plan for as many contingencies as the human would let him; he knew that neither Kuwabara, nor Yuusuke liked making too many plans, even when they were needed.

"I'll shout then, that there's only demons left, or that the humans are gone."

"Thank you, it saves us some worry."

"You wouldn't _really_ get in trouble for killing humans on Reikai business, would you?" Kuwabara looked and felt anxious at the idea.

"No," Youko didn't even need Shuuichi's orders to soothe him. "Koenma could smooth it over with the bureaucracy, but...it's easier if he doesn't have to. If we demons can avoid killing humans where we can then it gives him more ammunition for when we do need to kill humans, and it makes it easier for him to get clearance for having _any_ demons on our team, let alone demons working off their parole."

"Oh." There was no time for more conversation, they'd reached their target, and Youko could feel Shuuichi's annoyance at how many there were in the gang, nearly fifty, half again the number Koenma had warned them about.

"Fifteen are human, the rest are half-breeds and full demons."

"Thank you Kuwabara-san." Youko smiled gratefully, pulling a rose seed from his hair, and creating his rose whip as Shuuichi created his own weapon. It _wasn't_ a whip this time Youko noted absently as they went into battle, it was a staff with a solid cutting edge connected to the end of the staff by a long vine, a bit like that weird weapon the half-breed used in that manga they'd read, Saiyuki. Shuuichi had blocked him off while he was training sometimes too, had he been experimenting with that even then? It didn't matter, and not focusing on the fight would _cost_ him, he quickly found himself seeing only his opponent of the moment, who he was fighting now, if anyone was trying to attack him from behind, and how he needed to attack, or defend next. And by the time he came out of combat trance there was no one left to kill.

"What kind of weapon was _that_ Red?" Hiei had apparently decided to use their colouring to differentiate between them.

"Something I've been experimenting with for a while, in the waking world and in the dreamscape." That must have been what he'd been doing during the times he hadn't bothered with bedding Youko. "It's called a shakujou."

"Like from Saiyuki?"

"Yes, like that." Shuuichi laughed at the disbelieving looks from the two humans. "It worked didn't it? Almost as well as the whip. And I'll get better with more practice."

"As long as it works." Hiei's practical advice was the last thing before they broke up, Shuuichi taking Youko as soon as they made some privacy.

Shiori-sama had decided she wanted to see Youko on Mondays and Fridays, and she'd even told him that he'd be staying for dinner with her and Shuuichi one night a week. He hadn't on Monday, instead Shiori-sama had insisted on buying him some more Western style clothes, saying they were more practical than his yukata. He'd talked her down to five outfits in total: a black dress; a blue blouse with a long grey skirt; a pale yellow sweater paired with a pair of black feminine dress pants; a black shirt and skirt and a red T-shirt and blue jeans as well as a pair of white trainers. Shuuichi had laughed when he'd heard about that, and told him to just wear what Shiori-sama had bought him when he was visiting her, that or something similar and had even gone so far as to bring some more T-shirts, blouses and skirts here for Youko yesterday, saying that if Asuka wanted any of them and he didn't he could pass them on to her, if they fit. They weren't anywhere near as comfortable as yukata, but if it pleased his Patron and Shiori-sama...

"Are you ready my pet?"

"Yes Shuuichi-sama." His female disguise didn't seem to do anything special for his Patron, although it didn't turn him off either, so Youko had decided not to bother unless he was visiting Shiori-sama, or it was ordered, but the yukata _did_ seem to be a turn on for him, as did the three informal kimono he'd brought with the additional Western clothes. Since he _knew_ his Patron wouldn't take him to anything but a very reputable Go salon Youko had dressed in the dark blue kimono and tied his hair into a tail at the nape of his neck.

He followed obediently, eyes cast down in submission, noting how to get to this particular salon again without being obvious about it. Not that he was discrete enough to avoid Shuuichi's notice.

"As long as you're back at the apartment in time for my visits then I don't mind if you visit the Go salons I've taken you to by yourself. But only the Go salons I've taken you to."

"Yes Shuuichi-sama." That was another example of how much freedom Shuuichi gave him, Youko wondered if Shuuichi had even realised he was treating him more like a consort than a concubine. It gave him reasons for his irrational hopes. He shouldn't feel the _need_ for someone to protect him the way he did, but that was how he felt, and he seemed to have fixated on Shuuichi as that someone.

"Hello, when I asked about Go salons I was told this attracted some of the best players among the amateurs."

"Yes, it is owned by Touya-Meijin, and his son plays here regularly. He's over in that corner now." Youko glanced over to see a young boy, perhaps ten years old, sitting alone and studying a goban intently. He looked a bit like Sai might have when he was younger, long before he came to court at Kyoto.

"Might I play against him Shuuichi-sama?"

"If he agrees. Will that be a problem?"

"You just have to pay the fee and write your name down here, but he's a very strong player. What rank are you?"

"I'll pay the fee for him."

"I don't know what rank I am. Other than Net-Go I've only played Go with a few people, they were very good, in the Heian era they'd have played Go at the Emperor's court," and they had but this human couldn't know that, "but we never used rankings in Go." Youko didn't look up again, instead walking across to sit opposite Touya.

"Excuse me Touya-san. Might I play a game with you?"

"Yes, of course." He was as almost unnaturally composed as Shuuichi had been. "How many stones do you want?"

"I don't know. I have no idea where my skills fall relative to yours. Might we play an even game first, and then, if you feel I am worth playing against further you tell me how many stones I should place?"

"Very well. You can take black. Negiri."

"Negiri." Youko played his hardest, losing himself in the game the way he'd learned to with Sai.

"I lost by six moku didn't I?"

"No, you forgot the komi, including that you lost by eleven and a half moku. Now..." Youko could see that Touya was about to start taking the game apart and telling him where he went wrong, and what might have been a better move.

"Wait, please, I didn't make a kifu of this. Can you help me do that before we start on the analysis?" Youko pulled out a fresh Go record book as he spoke, and Touya pulled out his own.

"I usually write up my kifu later, but if you'd like." They wrote the kifu up together, and Youko made as many notes on the post-match discussion as he could, ignoring the crowd gathered to watch them except for Shuuichi-sama.

"It's time to go."

"But I'd like to play him again sometime." Youko hadn't expected Touya to protest as he began gathering his things.

"I'll bring him here on Wednesday every week if you want. And he can visit during school hours, except you won't be available then, but he does have other commitments Touya-kun."

"Then come again next week Youko-san. And I think you're good enough to play against most pros on even terms, or at most placing one stone."

"Thank you Touya-san." Youko blushed and left with his Patron.

"Did you enjoy that?"

"Very much, thank you Shuuichi-sama."

"You earned it."

It had been a quiet week, the only thing of note was that Youko'd finally thought to try the simpler task of hiding something with illusion, rather than creating a true illusion. And so he'd had a success to report to Shuuichi yesterday night.

_"Well done my pet. It isn't enough for me to feel the need to reward you or Asuka specially, but I got your third necklace today. Here." The second necklace had been the gold foxhead almost matching Asuka's silver. This one had a red gold fox and a white gold fox twined together with beryls and amber forming the eyes, the red gold fox clearly dominant. "It isn't actually a custom piece, believe it or not." Shuuichi's voice invited Youko to share the humour. "I spotted it in a shop that sells antique jewellery, and I knew it was perfect for you."_

_"Thank you Shuuichi-sama." Youko hesitated, then reached up and kissed his Patron, as a sort of test, to see whether he would enjoy Youko showing a bit more in the way of initiative. Some Patrons had, but most hadn't, and the ones who did weren't really into the rough stuff, but..._

_"We have time for something quick I guess." Shuuichi had laughed again. By the way, you won't be going to teach Yukina tomorrow, or any Wednesday from now on. I've found you an accelerated course in basic Ikebana and it starts tomorrow. I'll leave the address for you. You'll need to dress as a female, since that's how I registered you, and take some form of ID, just in case. You'll also need a bag to carry your books since I told them to have the required booklist waiting for you."_

_"Thank you Shuuichi-sama." He couldn't think of anything else to say, but he'd slid a hand down his Patron's body, and began working his pants open while he hungrily kissed him. Shuuichi had decided to let him dominate the kiss_ and_ the foreplay for some reason, Youko didn't care why, only that it was important that he please Shuuichi._

Afterwards Shuuichi had gone to Asuka for some more lessons in shapeshifting, and she'd been so happy about the belt he'd given her, made of two silver chains woven together, one heavy and one lighter. Youko had been glad that it had pleased her, but it still bothered him a bit that she could be so happy because of something so small. He guessed it reminded him too much of how he'd once been. He dressed in his amber yukata and wore the gold foxhead, leaving with Asuka, and taking the time to explore the public gardens of the building where his lessons would be taking place before he had to report in. They were a bit too formal for his personal tastes, but beautiful, very elegant, and, for the most part they showed signs of good care. There were one or two plants that were struggling, and he gave them the benefit of an infusion of his ki, but he thought that was most likely because they were _foreign_ plants, very much so and the climate conditions were against them.

The entire booklist turned out to consist of eleven books, large enough that he could barely get them all in his backpack, waiting for him at the reception desk. Their teacher was a tall man with hair the same shade as Shuuichi's, who wore a gi and hakama and moved like a swordsman, albeit a lesser reflection of Hiei's grace and control. But then...he was only human after all.

They started with an hour long theory lesson on the rules for two specific types of arrangements. After that they spent an hour learning how to judge the quality of various types of flowers, a more hands on lesson, and one they'd have repeated every week. Youko cheated a bit, using his ki to improve the flowers he picked out, rather than looking for the ones that were likely to last longest. This was followed by a second theory lesson, as long as the first, on the meanings of the flowers they could choose from that day. Of course he already knew the Makai meanings of those flowers common to both worlds, but he hadn't known the ningenkai meanings. Apparently the students were allowed to take home the arrangements they made for each lesson, something else to carry. But...looking at the flowers they had available, and what they meant, Youko thought he could make an arrangement that would be appropriate for Asuka. They were given an hour to think about it over lunch, and then finally two hours to make their arrangements, with the teacher coming and looking over their shoulders to check on their work and sometimes correct the way a student was holding a flower.

"Fujimiya-sensei, I'm not sure that the message I'm sending with this arrangement is the one I want to send. Can you tell me how you'd interpret it?"

He looked over the half-completed arrangement, occasionally reaching out to touch a bloom gently, and tweak it into a slightly different position.

"It reads to me as if you're trying to say 'Thank you for your friendship and protection.' Is that what you intended?"

"Not quite." Youko frowned, and began taking the arrangement apart. "I was trying to say 'In gratitude for what you've given me I offer you my friendship and protection.' Am I trying to convey something too complicated here?"

"For a beginner, yes. What has the recipient given you?"

"She's teaching me...an art form." That was probably the best way to describe it.

"My advice would be to make two smaller arrangements, one saying 'Thank you for your teachings.' and the other saying 'I offer you my friendship and protection.' Pick two smaller vases and start again." As he spoke Fujimiya was swiftly separating the flowers into two piles, obviously one for each meaning.

Youko hesitated before obeying, picking up an obviously matched pair of small vases, remembering that at the start of the practical lesson he had been told he had the option of preparing two arrangements in a matched pair of vases. He'd decided against it because he was worried about carrying them home, but...

Fujimiya couldn't find much to criticise in his final arrangements, but he had frowned suspiciously at the quality of the blooms. Youko just hadn't been able to resist the temptation to use his ki to make his flowers healthier, and make sure they'd last longer. And he'd paid for a tray to carry the arrangements home on.

Youko hadn't expected to come home from teaching Yukina and playing in Genkai's forest to find Botan waiting for him. He realised then that they'd been criminally negligent when it came to the wards in his apartment - Shuuichi had already had a top of the line ningen alarm system installed, but no one had bother adding their own style of ward to the apartment at all. But then, they hadn't bothered with putting wards on Shiori-sama's house either, on the assumption that the lack of demonic energy and their disguise as humans would be a better way to keep her safe than drawing attention to themselves.

"What do you want Botan?" He didn't need to hide his dislike of her, his Patron shared it at the moment, since her casual comments about using him as bait, and she'd been rude enough to invade his home.

"The demons who were behind separating you from Shuuichi in order to kidnap you still haven't been found, and they haven't made any efforts to get hold of you again, have they?"

"No. And you should already know that." Because of the tracking device she'd installed in him two days after they'd been separated.

"Damn! We were hoping that it had malfunctioned or something. We're getting nowhere and anything would be useful." Youko was pretty sure that his Patron would be angry at the callous attitude implied by Botan's words - he certainly was, and so his response was a bit less than diplomatic.

"I'm surprised you even care...after all it's _'just'_ an attempt to enslave a demon. We were under the impression that the Reikai only cared about ningen." His bitter words weren't quite the truth, he _knew_ that it was an exaggeration on his part, but not much of one - in large part it _was_ true.

"They attacked one of Koenma-sama's Tantei. We protect our own, or avenge them if we can't." Of course, Botan only cared because this was a threat to her precious Koenma's prestige...no, that wasn't entirely fair, she _did_ care about the Tantei team she'd been assigned to, but...

"Well, I don't know why you're talking to _me_ about this. I'm a concubine, things like this aren't any of my concern. You need to talk to Shuuichi-sama."

"You don't even know what I want!"

"It doesn't matter what you want. I'm his property, I cannot answer to your commands unless he instructs me to." Simple facts that she seemed to have forgotten - or never known.

"So you've been forbidden to leave here except on journeys he's approved?"

"Not precisely, but I must be here when he returns, and he prefers to know where I'm going. He's organised much of my week for me anyway." Youko thought a description of what his Patron expected of him might distract Botan, and dissuade her from her plans, even though she had to already know about it. "Monday and Friday I visit Shiori-sama, staying for dinner with her and Shuuichi-sama on Friday." So far anyway. "On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday I accompany Asuka to Genkai-shihan's temple, where I teach Yukina how to improve her strength and to cook Makai style meals." Not that Asuka needed his escort, she managed just fine by herself on the other days. "And on Wednesday I attend a course in Ikebana, and then visit Touya-Meijin's Go salon when Shuuichi-sama returns from school." He frowned then. "And of course in the mornings, before I do any of that I do the grocery shopping. So you see, I _do_ have plenty of opportunities to get out of the apartment, if that is what you were asking."

"Um...no, not quite. The thing is...except for when you're here or at Genkai's temple you're hiding your demonic energy very well, so the demons behind the kidnapping attempt don't realise it's you."

"I'm not as skilled at that as Shuuichi-sama is, but I am good enough to pass for human almost perfectly. I did have some practice while Shuuichi-sama was growing up. Shuuichi-sama can suppress his aura much more precisely than I can - with me it's either my aura displays that I have five tails, or I suppress it enough to pass for a human. He can appear to be human, a four-tail, or any level in between. But either way, I was _ordered_ to pass for human, remember, you conveyed that message yourself." Youko let all the resentment he'd felt at that fill his voice. The Reikai _shouldn't_ have the right to command him to hide his nature, only his Patron should have had that right.

"Yes...well, we wanted you to stop hiding your aura so well."

"If Shuuichi-sama commands it I will obey, but he has not. I told you, this sort of thing is not something I have any right to make decisions on, or act upon myself." He was being stubborn, and repetitive, but he didn't seem to be getting _through_ to her. But then...maybe he didn't need to get through to her. Shuuichi liked him to be clean and smelling nice when he got here, even if he didn't know _when_ his Patron would arrive. He was understanding even if Youko _wasn't_ all clean and nicely scented, but he was gentler in bed if he was. Youko's hair could do with a wash anyway and he'd lost whatever sense of modesty he had a _long_ time ago.

Youko began stripping, unfastening his obi and dropping it to the floor, then letting his yukata slip from his shoulders to follow it. Akari could pick up after him, she always did, without complaining, but...he wasn't going to strip _quite_ naked in front of the ferry girl. She didn't have the right to see him that way, and if Shuuichi turned out to be possessive that way, though he'd never shown signs of it before, he'd be in less trouble if he'd kept some things on. Instead he ignored her sputterings and went into the bathroom.

Shower first, cleaning his hair, shampoo and conditioner, not that it was entirely necessary since he'd used his ki to 'persuade' the plant matter caught in his hair to leave it, but it felt better, and silver hair does show every little bit of dirt. Youko looked longingly at the furo, before deciding that, no, he couldn't use it now, not when he needed to dry his hair. Besides the water would still be cold, but he _could_ start it heating up, for when Shuuichi returned.

Botan had already left by the time he came out of the bathroom anyway.


	7. Chapter 7

Youko'd sent Asuka to her bedroom, and told her to _stay_ there after she'd finished tidying the apartment and he'd shown her where he was with his illusion work. She'd suggested a couple of things he should consider and obediently left him. He felt a bit guilty for doing that, but he didn't really want her overhearing him discussing Botan's visit with Shuuichi and he didn't think their Patron would either.

"You've been planning something my pet...haven't you?" Shuuichi's voice was rich with amusement and a hint of chastisement.

"Yes, Shuuichi-sama. I thought, perhaps...we could bathe together?" It was a remarkably innocent fantasy to come from any kitsune, let alone one with Youko's history and reputation, but he'd been craving contact with his master that didn't directly involve sex. "And...there's something else you need to know. Might I show you the memory?"

"Go ahead." With that permission Youko opened his mind, displaying the memory to his master in full.

"You did well, mostly." Shuuichi reached out and began petting Youko's hair as he spoke. "You kept on telling her that she had no right to ask those things of you directly, and that you answer to me. Every time she asked you told her to ask me, not you," then his hand tightened in Youko's hair and wrenched his head up and back, "but you should _not_ have stripped in front of her the way you did."

"I'm sorry, Shuuichi-sama, please, please forgive me. I...I just couldn't think of anything else to get rid of her. Sorry, sorry, forgive me, please?" Youko begged shamelessly, anything to lessen his punishment. Shuuichi hadn't felt the need to really punish him yet, but he remembered exactly what the other was capable of when he was just using Youko as an outlet for his anger. Shuuichi threw him to the ground, and Youko drew in a half-sobbing breath of relief.

"Strip!" As Youko hurried to obey that harsh order Shuuichi stalked away into his bedroom. He was carrying a metal ring with a small padlock attached when he returned.

"Make yourself hard for me." From the smile on his master's face Youko could tell that Shuuichi knew how hard that would be for him under the circumstances. Youko'd never been aroused by fear, his own, or anyone else's, but he had learned tricks to get around that, and he stimulated himself until his master was satisfied.

"Good." And Shuuichi pulled him into a hungry kiss, taking his mouth roughly, then kissing his way down Youko's body, until he arrived at his arousal. Shuuichi took it into his mouth, bringing him closer to climax...then he snapped the metal ring around him at the base, and locked it before standing.

"You'll be wearing that at _least_ until after dinner with Kaasan. I will be most displeased if I find that you've picked the lock. Now, undress me." Youko shivered and obeyed. If this was all the punishment Shuuichi was going to deal out to him than he was lucky.

Shuuichi led him into the bathroom, and turned on the shower, stepping into it and smiling at him with a warmth he knew he shouldn't trust. "Well? Aren't you going to wash me?"

"Y-yes Shuuichi-sama." Youko was so startled at the way his master seemed intent on acting out his own fantasy that he stuttered his response. He stepped into the shower with Shuuichi and began obediently to wash him clean, including his beautiful blood-red hair, kneeling at his feet as he finished, and glancing upwards for permission before taking his master into his mouth. It wasn't particularly pleasurable for him, not with the way Shuuichi controlled his movements with a hand in his hair, pulling at him roughly to get his satisfaction, but that didn't matter...in fact it was _better_ if it didn't give him much pleasure considering the ring around his cock. He sat back on his heels, eyes cast down after he'd swallowed Shuuichi's seed, an involuntary moan escaping his mouth as he recognised the scent of the plant his Patron was growing to provide lubrication. The plant was one he'd bred to produce a slippery nectar...that also worked as an aphrodisiac. Shuuichi turned the shower off, and switched heads, to the one that Youko used to clean himself inside.

"Bend over." Shuuichi used the nectar from his plant to lubricate Youko's entrance, and cleansed him inside very thoroughly, leaving him moaning in forced arousal. Then Shuuichi pulled him into the furo with him. Youko couldn't keep from rubbing himself up against his Patron, doing everything he could to arouse him and hating himself for that. Shuuichi just laughed.

"Ah, you didn't want to have sex here did you? You were planning on a nice chaste bath, weren't you?"

"Ye-yes Shuu-uuich-ichi-sa-sama." Youko's response was broken, almost a moan as Shuuichi ran his hand down his side.

"Well, that's what you'll get." And then Shuuichi pushed him away, leaning back in the furo, and shutting his eyes in relaxation. Youko shut his own eyes, holding back tears of frustration. He knew how unlikely he was to get any relief this night, but he still wished that his master would touch him, however he wanted to, even if it was to hurt him. With this particular nectar even hurting him would arouse him, and he knew that he _could_ climax even with the cock ring, he had in similar situations in the past, it would just take longer, and a lot more stimulation than it usually took for him to climax.

When Shuuichi decided that they'd soaked enough he lifted Youko out of the furo, dried him off, and carried him through to his bedroom, dropping him onto the bed on his stomach. He pulled Youko's hands over his head, and bound them there with a creeper, then bound his legs open.

"Beg me." Shuuichi didn't have to say anything else as he began to stretch Youko using the same nectar he'd used before. Youko immediately began to beg, with increasing desperation, eventually just in broken words and phrases. And _that_ was enough to satisfy his master, because finally he stopped finger-fucking him and just took him.

Youko whimpered as he got out of bed the next morning. He ached all over and he was exhausted, but he didn't really know why. But at least he could take out the butt plug Shuuichi had put into him while he was passed out after he'd finally climaxed. It had to have been expensive, possibly custom made, because it had a reservoir inside it for lubrication that Shuuichi had filled with the nectar while Youko watched, between the third and fourth times Shuuichi had fucked him. The nectar leaking out had kept him aroused all night, almost too aroused to sleep, but it hadn't been anywhere near enough to get him off.

"Asuka?" Even though the vixen was supposed to take care of the household chores she usually only cooked the evening meal since she spent most of the day with Genkai. But today she was preparing a Western style breakfast...bacon, eggs, American pancakes, waffles and more. "What?"

"Shuuichi-sama told me to prepare a good meal to start the day, since you fainted in his bed yesterday. Once you've finished the furo should have heated up enough for you to soak properly." Youko knew he was blushing at that, he'd _never_ passed out in bed before, not unless his 'lover' had been torturing him to get off, and he couldn't figure out why he had this time. Not that he was going to admit that, but he could ask another question.

"How did he know that I was going to be so...wrecked today?" Youko hadn't, not until he tried getting up. He'd gone for almost a week with no sleep and felt better than he did now...ironic considering that he'd felt great just after he'd fainted.

"I'm not sure, he was on that 'computer' of yours after you fainted and before he gave me those orders." Probably something he found on the Internet then. It always amazed Youko the sort of things you could find there if you looked hard enough. He didn't ask anything else, settling down to the meal Asuka had prepared, it was a good meal at that and he made sure to compliment her.

"Thank you. I've never tried cooking anything like this before. Shuuichi-sama also said you weren't to practise your illusion work at all today, and he'd see you for dinner." Youko felt a mix of relief, since he didn't think he was _up_ to practising his illusions today, and fear at that announcement.

"But...I don't want him to be disappointed in me, and in how slowly I'm learning to use illusions." It wasn't just fear either, Shuuichi had only punished him for not learning well enough once, after that he seemed to have been content to let Youko set his own pace.

"It only _feels_ like you're learning slowly because Shuuichi-sama learns so fucking fast." Asuka sounded frustrated, and more than a little jealous. "You learned in three weeks what took me a year to master remember."

"Even so...I bet he's mastered shapeshifting by the time I'm ready to start."

"He says it's similar to something he does in his dreamscape, like the illusions." Asuka left it at that while Youko hurried his meal as much as he could, so that he'd be able to wash the nectar from inside his body. Eating too fast would be an insult to Asuka's skills, and it wasn't as if she'd be surprised at what was leaking out from inside him.

There was still more than enough lubrication inside him and he was still stretched enough when he got to the bathroom that he didn't need any more preparation to use the second shower head. For a moment he was tempted to fuck himself with it, instead of using it to clean himself out, but...Shuuichi had forbidden him to masturbate as well. Besides he didn't think he'd be able to come from that, it had taken a lot more for him to come with his Patron. Once he was clean he moved to the furo, pinning his hair up out of the way as he soaked, letting the hot, near boiling, water relieve all the aches and pains he was feeling from how his Patron had used him. It didn't do anything about his arousal, and it was going to be hard for him to find an outfit that would hide that for his visit to Shiori-sama, but that was the only pain the heat couldn't ease.

By the time he got out of the furo the water had cooled to barely blood temperature and Asuka was long gone. If Shiori-sama hadn't expressed a distaste for his yukata and Shuuichi hadn't ordered him to dress in Western style clothing when visiting her he wouldn't need to worry about hiding his arousal, since the yukata would cover that by itself. He sighed and dug around in his clothes trunk for the dancer's belts Himura-san had advised were the most comfortable way to hide his genitilia. It wasn't particularly comfortable, and he was sure part of that was from his forced state of arousal, but he had to just put up with it, he knew that. He picked out the full grey skirt Shiori-sama had bought him and coupled it with an amber blouse, wearing his entwined foxes necklace. Youko always wore his Claddagh ring, it meant a lot to him, even if he wasn't sure why it meant so much, and he didn't think he needed more jewellery. Amber polish on his nails would set off this outfit well, he thought, and also it was subtle and elegant enough to please Shiori-sama. He'd fallen into a pretty consistent pattern with how he did his make-up for visiting Shiori-sama, so he put that on without giving it much thought, although he left the lipstick until just before he left, and he'd learned how to put his hair up in a simple but elegant pleat from Asuka. When she'd taken him shopping the only reason Shiori-sama hadn't bought him a pair of court shoes was that he'd said he already had a pair, but Shuuichi had still bought him a black pair of court shoes, as the white ones he already had wouldn't work with most of the clothes Shiori-sama had bought him, or the clothes he'd bought after that.

"I meant to ask you earlier Akari-chan, why do you always wear a necklace and those amber hair pins or combs when you visit me? Why not just tie your hair up or back in a pony tail, or leave it loose?" Shiori had noticed the careful way her son's lover dressed to visit her, slightly formal in a way Shiori wouldn't expect from a girl young enough to be her son's lover, but all too obviously adjusted to please _her_ in particular. With her talk of her first Ikebana lesson, and the Go Salon her son took her to visit Akari didn't seem like the type to care so much about displaying herself that she felt the need to always be immaculately groomed and wearing jewellery.

"I'm a concubine, it's expected that I wear whatever jewellery my Patron gives me, although not all at once. But at the very least I have to wear some jewellery whenever I'm going to be seen by anyone important. And you are certainly important Shiori-sama." Akari smiled at Shiori, admiration and not a little love in her eyes. "As to my hair...wearing the amber pins and combs is part of the whole 'acting as a display of my Patron's wealth and power' thing. I wear it in a high pony tail for everyday wear, but it isn't that hard to put it up. A low pony tail or leaving it loose feel too masculine to me. Also," she blushed ever so faintly as she gave her final reason, "the necklaces make my disguise as a female work right, in some way I can't define."

That blunt reminder that Akari was actually Youko Kurama, the ancient kitsune who'd turned her son into a demon was jarring. She'd almost managed to forget that her son was anything but Minamino Shuuichi, perfect son and student, and she'd certainly managed to make herself forget that his lover - his favourite lover anyway, she didn't entirely buy what they'd said about Asuka just being their teacher - was actually male.

"Oh!" And she turned her attention back to the Tea Ceremony that Akari was supposed to be learning from her. They'd finished the first demonstration before Shiori asked her question, and Akari had put everything back in position to start again. "why don't you try now, I'll correct you if you go wrong."

"Yes Shiori-sama." Akari obeyed and began the Tea Ceremony, with the grace she normally brought to it, the sort of grace Shiori could only emulate with her years of practice in the one traditional art she'd studied and kept up with. But halfway through she seemed to falter, the tremors of her hand showing in the cup she help. She swiftly recovered and placed the cup down in front of her, bowing her head and blushing in clear shame. "I'm sorry Shiori-sama. I...do not think I can learn what you are kind enough to teach me today."

"What's wrong?" Shiori hoped that Akari wasn't ill or anything, and that she hadn't made herself worse by coming to visit her when she was ill.

"I'm not entirely sure. I just woke up aching and tired. Shuuichi-sama seemed to have expected it, because he ordered Asuka to pamper me today, so it can't be too serious."

"If he knew that you were going to be...uncomfortable today why didn't he _tell_ me? Do you have any idea what's wrong with you?" Shiori stood, and helped Asuka to her feet, guiding her through to the living room, and down onto the Western style couch there.

"I...perhaps he thought you wouldn't want to know about our sex life." Akari was trembling now, her breathing swift and shallow.

"Your sex life?" Shiori knew that she sounded stupid, but how could her son's sex life - which she was trying her best not to think about - have anything to do with Akari's condition.

"I...fainted last night, from pleasure. He...he hasn't really hurt me in bed, not since we separated, not in the real world anyway." That was definitely more than Shiori wanted to know. How could they have had sex before they separated? And what did Akari mean 'not in the real world'? "Please, can we speak of something else?"

Shiori blushed, almost matching Akari's flaming cheeks, despite their reputation the kitsune seemed to be as embarrassed to talk about this as _she_ was.

"Of course. I understand you're the reason my son is such a good cook? I always wondered where he got those strange recipes from."

"Oh yes. I learned to cook because I had to, so I could survive after my clan was killed. We learned all about what was edible and what wasn't before puberty, as well as how to use the empathy we're born with. Did it bother you that a lot of the meals Shuuichi-sama cooked were based around small game?"

"Not at all, but it is a little unusual here. Now, tell me..." And Shiori began to talk about the homely tasks she'd always loved, but never had the leisure to pursue fully.

Youko bit his lower lip nervously as Shiori-sama left him to greet her son. It had been wonderful to have her fussing over him like that, worrying about just because of a little tremor in his hand, but he was afraid that Shuuichi would be angry with him because he'd upset her and mentioned their sex life.

"No buts Minamino Shuuichi. You are going to take care of your lover. If you knew she was going to be ill today you should have told me and let her stay at home where she could rest."

"Kaasan, I know how much you enjoy having a daughter to teach womanly skills to, and Akari enjoys the chance to experience family again." Shuuichi's words were all true, Youko might have preferred it if he could visit Shiori-sama as himself, but he'd take what he could get, and this was better than he'd expected. And winning Shiori-sama's approval might mean...no, he couldn't think about his most secret hope now. "I wasn't going to deny that to either of you. Besides, isn't she better off here, with a mother to take care of her, than in an empty apartment, with no one to help her? I can't deny Asuka the chance to stop being helpless that Genkai-shihan's teachings offer her."

'What did you tell her?'

"And she can't miss even _one_ day?" Shiori-sama sounded sceptical, she wouldn't if she knew what Genkai was like.

'That you expected me to be ill today, and that I fainted from pleasure last night.'

"Not with Genkai-shihan, she's a pretty strict teacher - if she's going to the bother of teaching someone she expects total commitment. About the only reason Asuka's allowed to live at my apartment and not at her temple while she's learning from her is that she's my property, and I bought her to teach _me_. That impressed Genkai-shihan."

'Good. Kaasan shouldn't have any issues with that.' Shuuichi flashed him a rueful smile. 'Well, not too many anyway.'

"I don't care. You will stay with her and take care of her until she's feeling better."

"Yes Kaasan. Would you rather I kept her here until morning, or stayed with her after I've taken her back to the apartment?" Shuuichi came and sat beside him on the couch, brushing back his hair, Youko shut his eyes and revelled in the contact.

"What do you mean Shuuichi?"

"When she fainted I looked it up, if someone faints from pleasure during sex they'll feel great for the rest of the day, and be a wreck the next day, all of the next day. She should be alright tomorrow, I just need to take care of her today." Youko didn't get why it was such a turn on for Shuuichi to refer to him as a female, it shouldn't be, it never had been with anyone else...

"She doesn't have any of her things here...take her home and stay with her then. As long as you get all of your homework done before you go."

"Yes Kaasan. I wonder..." Youko felt a tiny feed of ki into him as Shuuichi trailed off speculatively. Such small things to make him so happy...his Patron deciding to sleep in his bed, a sign of great favour, he knew that much, and Shuuichi feeding some of his own ki into him. It didn't take very long for him to feel much better, and he ended up half sitting, half leaning against his master. Shuuichi seemed to take that as some sort of cue, lifting him into his arms and carrying him to the kitchen first.

"Kaasan, do we have time to take a short nap together?"

"Don't have sex in my house please Shuuichi."

"I won't Kaasan, I promise." Shuuichi's voice was filled with laughter at that and Youko wondered if he'd been planning to before Shiori-sama asked for that disappointing promise. But his master carried him up the stairs to his bedroom, laying him on his bed, a Western bed, not a futon he noted absently, and pushed his skirt up to reveal first the lacy tops of his black stockings, then the dance belt keeping him in place and finally the black garter belt.

"Shu-uuichi-sama?" His voice shook as he questioned his Patron's actions. It wasn't his place to do that, he knew, but this was so strange.

"I didn't expect you to faint on me last night my pet." Shuuichi's hands were at the base of his cock, near the metal ring, but Youko didn't realise why, not until he pulled away, the ring hanging from one hand. "And you were nicely discrete in front of Kaasan. So...I'll let your punishment finish early."

"Th-thank you Shuuichi-sama, thank you." He stammered in gratitude as Shuuichi smoothed his skirt back down over his legs and lay down beside him, taking him into his arms. He couldn't exactly come, not dressed the way he was, but now that the cock ring was off him he'd be able to lose the erection that had been tormenting him all day. He let himself remember back to one of his earliest Patrons, an ugly demon, at least in his opinion, but one who'd been willing to lavish jewels and other precious things on him unstintingly. It was enough to make him soften without scaring him.

He hadn't dared risk falling asleep here, it would smudge his make-up, and all he could repair was his lipstick. Besides, he wasn't really tired, Shuuichi had just used that as an excuse to get up here with enough privacy to remove his cock ring. And he wanted to be awake to enjoy this, the feeling of being in Shuuichi's arms without any demands for sex - it was one hell of a lot rarer than sex was for any kitsune, at least in the Makai. The fake hugs Shuuichi's classmates had given him to get help with schoolwork had probably given him the same attitude towards non-sexual affection as Youko often had to sex.

When Shiori-sama called them down to eat Youko was allowed to walk by himself, but Shuuichi insisted on supporting him with an arm around his waist, to reassure Shiori-sama he said. Youko kept his eyes lowered appropriately throughout the meal, reminding Shiori-sama that he _was_ Shuuichi's property, not his equal and showing Shuuichi that he knew his place after his blunder the previous day. He'd been more...involved in the conversation at dinner last week, and even if Shuuichi hadn't reprimanded him for that, he still felt the need to display his submission.

When they got back to his apartment Youko was expecting to be taken, and to pleasure his Patron as usual, but Shuuichi just looked at him, measuringly, and he knew that in some way he'd fallen short.

"Get undressed and go to bed. You're in no condition to please me anywhere but in the dreamscape." Youko swallowed in fear, it had been about a moon cycle since Shuuichi had taken him there, and he was convinced the only reason his Patron would demand this was to enjoy hurting him the way he'd promised _not_ to in the waking world. But he obeyed, as he had to, leaving his clothes in a pile on the floor.

The dreamscape had been all forested, with a very occasional clearing ever since they'd separated, and Youko found himself in one of those clearings when he finally grew tired of being held by his Patron and slept. But Shuuichi wasn't waiting for him, even though it was obvious a camp site had been set up in the clearing and a thin whine of fear escaped his throat. He shook his head and settled down to kneel at the fire, absently growing some herbs and vegetables for cooking, but not daring to actually do anything that would affect the camp.

"What do we have here? A beautiful kitsune waiting for me." Shuuichi's beautiful red hair was cut short, barely to his chin, and he had a thick beard in this dream, besides being dressed like the human idealism of a trapper, leather and furs, not that clean either. And he was much more muscular than in real life, carrying a trap and two dead rabbits in his hands. "Did you get lost pretty one?"

The very idea was ridiculous, or maybe not so ridiculous, his sense of direction wasn't always as good as it was now. Was this some sort of role play? Youko let his eyes open wide, trying to look fragile, despite his height - his delicate bone structure and thin frame helped there.

"I...my clan..." He stammered, trying to figure out what his Patron wanted. When Shuuichi didn't say anything he scrambled to his feet, and began trying to back out of the clearing. Shuuichi dropped his catch and grabbed hold of his wrist.

"Going somewhere Silver?"

"I...I don't want to make you angry."

"Then sit back down." Shuuichi pushed him to sprawl on the ground, and writing appeared in front of his face.

'Role play, set just after your clan died. You haven't eaten for a week, and you don't know how to hunt.'

He pushed himself back up to his knees, watching Shuuichi warily, eyes darting to the rabbits every few seconds.

"Hungry, pretty one?"

"Y-yes sir?" He wasn't quite sure how he was supposed to address Shuuichi at the moment.

"Is that a question Silver?"

"No sir." He shivered as Shuuichi took hold of his shoulder, hands wandering over his body freely.

"So, you are hungry? What will you do to earn your meal, pretty one?"

"I...I can cook for you?" He knew that it wasn't the answer Shuuichi was looking for, but if he was going to play orphaned kit he'd play his part to the hilt, naivety and all.

"I can do that myself. No, I want something else from you." Shuuichi gently pushed Youko down onto the ground. No human would really be able to do that to a kitsune, or almost any demon, but it fit in with the scenario they were playing.

"Wh-what do you w-want s-sir?" It was almost fun playing the terrified virgin, and it certainly seemed to be turning Shuuichi on.

"I want to fuck that tight pretty ass of yours. And you're going to let me aren't you pretty?"

"P-please...don't hurt me sir. I'll do whatever you want."

"You'll do that anyway." But Shuuichi sat back on his heels, letting Youko sit up again. "Strip now." Youko gave a shaky half gasp and began to obey, slowly, reluctantly, deliberately letting his fingers shake as he loosened his clothes. Eventually Shuuichi became impatient, and ripped the rest of his clothes away himself, pushing him back to the ground.

"Suck them." He stuck three fingers into Youko's mouth without any consideration for how it might feel to Youko. It didn't hurt, but Youko was sure that was something Shuuichi had done in the dream, just like the way it didn't hurt at all when Shuuichi began fingering him had to be - even experienced as he was, if all the lubrication he had was saliva it would hurt in the real world, no matter how gentle his partner was, and Shuuichi was only showing a rough urgency. He kept to his assigned role, whimpering in fear and trying to move away from the fingers impaling him, even if it was just a half-hearted effort.

"Enough." A light slap to his face made him freeze in fear, and Shuuichi removed his fingers, to push his cock at Youko's face. "Suck this now." He could get away with doing this badly in this particular game, so he did, to see how his master would react.

Shuuichi just laughed at him and pulled out to flip him over onto his stomach, then pulled him up to his hands and knees and took him with no more consideration. And even though Youko knew there'd been nowhere near enough preparation it didn't hurt the way it would in the waking world, so obviously his master had only been in the mood for the illusion of rape or near-rape, and not in actually hurting him. He hadn't done anything to anger his Patron then. Youko put those thoughts out of his mind, and focused on acting the way he was supposed to. At first he struggled, just enough to arouse Shuuichi even further, and then, when it started to get really good, he began to reluctantly respond, moving back into Shuuichi's thrusts and moving so that Shuuichi got the best angle. When Shuuichi reached around his body to roughly pull at his cock he climaxed quickly, and so did his master. Shuuichi pulled out of him and allowed him to collapse onto the ground.

"When you can move again I want you to show me that cooking you offered before."

"Y-yes sir." Youko forced himself back up to his hands and knees, groping around for the clothes his Patron had discarded so casually. He _could_ have formed himself new clothes by his will, because he was in the dreamscape, in theory anyway he could, but that would have spoiled the game, and besides he didn't know how well he could form them. Slowly he dressed, making it look painful, even though it wasn't, then he crawled over to the fire and began cooking.

Afterwards Shuuichi began quizzing him on how well he could work with the dreamscape.


	8. Chapter 8

I'm not asking for much, but it would be nice to get at least one review this chapter?

Shuuichi was still beside him when he woke up the next morning, early enough that he would be able to please his Patron before he had to go to school, Youko thought. Youko bit his lip, debating the merits of waking Shuuichi with a blow job, on one hand it could be seen as presumptuous of him, but on the other hand Shuuichi didn't set an alarm the night before, and waking him that way would at least please him a bit, he hoped. Anyway, he could feel that his Patron was semi-hard against his hip already, most males got like that as they were about to wake, even demons.

He slowly wriggled out of his master's now loose grasp, sliding beneath the sheets and down Shuuichi's body until he could take him into his mouth. For a while he was allowed to work on his master undisturbed, pulling back occasionally, or shifting his attention to the balls, rather than the penis itself, but eventually Shuuichi seemed to wake up, and took control of the blow job, grabbing on to his hair and forcing him to a faster pace to bring him to climax as swiftly as possible.

"Now, why did you do that pet?" The hand that had been controlling his head by a grip on his hair switched to almost idly stroking his hair, and Youko shut his eyes to luxuriate in that as he answered, head resting against Shuuichi's thigh.

"You have school today Shuuichi-sama, and no alarm. And isn't this a nicer way to wake up Shuuichi-sama?"

"Oh, definitely." Shuuichi laughed as he replied, gently pushing Youko away from him. "What time is it anyway?" Youko didn't reply, he knew it was a rhetorical question as he watched Shuuichi getting up. Youko pulled the sheets around him into a little nest, where he could curl up, warm and comfortable, as he watched Shuuichi check his uniform and schoolbag before dressing.

"Oh, no you don't." Shuuichi was laughing, so he wasn't angry when he pulled Youko out of his nest and onto the tatami. "If I have to get up so do you. Now come and shower with me."

"As you wish Shuuichi-sama." Youko picked a couple of hair sticks for each of them from the top of the clothes chest at the end of his futon, twisting first his Patron's hair and then his own up and securing it with two of the sticks, so it would be out of the way. He'd expected to be instructed to bathe his Patron, but instead Shuuichi-sama positioned him facing the shower wall, hands pressed to it, legs just far enough apart to give his master easy access and began to wash Youko himself. Shuuichi's hands lingered, and teased, but they never built his arousal enough to get him more than half erect, and he whined a little as he realised what his master was doing. Was this to be additional punishment for letting Botan see him in a state of undress?

"I don't want you to masturbate at all today, or to relieve yourself with Asuka. I'll take you to bed tonight, after I have a word with Koenma about what Botan suggested. Now turn around and wash me."

"Yes Shuuichi-sama." He didn't think this was a punishment after all, just one of the games that Patrons liked to play, a way to emphasise his power over Youko. He began the process of washing his master, trying to make it as seductive as his Patron had, but Shuuichi grabbed hold of his wrists in a near bruising grip.

"Don't tease pet. I want you to do this quickly, efficiently, and without trying to seduce me. I'm not going to fuck you before I go to school, or let you pleasure me in any other way." Then the grip relaxed, and he seemed to be less displeased as he pulled Youko in close for a kiss on the forehead. "If I let you do that then I wouldn't think of anything else all day, and it would hardly let me get much work done, now would it my pet?"

"No Shuuichi-sama, it wouldn't." Youko's voice was breathy with an unexpected arousal. He hadn't consciously realised until now how much he'd come to automatically wear human form, and to see it as almost natural in the fifteen years he'd spent in Shuuichi's body, even if he had been hidden away inside Shuuichi's mind. But being held against his master like this, no taller or more muscular than he brought it home to him. It was flattering to know that if he pleasured Shuuichi now his Patron thought it would distract him all day and he began washing his master again, working more swiftly now, still taking care not to _hurt_ him, but no longer attempting to arouse or incite desire.

When he dried his Patron off after they got out of the shower it was equally efficient and impersonal, but Shuuichi made a point of teasing him to a low level of arousal again. Then when he dropped the towel and guided him through to their bedroom Youko wanted to scream. Shuuichi didn't seem to want to dress just yet, instead scrutinising his clothes.

"Wear this today." His Patron had chosen the dark red yukata, but instead of the black obi Youko normally wore with it he was holding out the amber obi he normally wore with his amber yukata.

"As you wish Shuuichi-sama." He took the clothes his master was holding out to him, and dressed as enticingly as he could, a form of reverse strip-tease. It looked as if it was working from the way Shuuichi caught his breath, but his master's self-control was incredible to his mind, and he just turned away and got dressed himself.

"Do you want me to take you with me when I talk to Koenma?" It was a casual offer, something that Shuuichi obviously didn't think twice about making, but Youko just didn't know how to see it. Did his Patron want him along because they would be discussing his life, and he'd be the one playing bait? Or was it just another way to display his ownership of Youko?

"Can I contribute anything Shuuichi-sama?"

"I doubt it, but it will mean I don't have to pass the information on to you, whatever we decide, you'll hear it directly." Better than nothing he supposed.

"Then please, yes, Shuuichi-sama."

"I'll pick you up from Genkai-shihan's temple after school then."

Youko wasn't entirely clear on how Shuuichi had persuaded Botan to take them both to visit Koenma, but he was sure that he didn't really _want_ to be, since his Patron was probably better at manipulating people than he was, even if he was more vulnerable to blackmail. She didn't look happy about it anyway so he wasn't going to cause trouble by asking questions. It felt as if she was trying to make them fall off the oar as they rode to the Reikai, Botan always indulged in aerial acrobatics, but he was sure they weren't normally as extreme as they were this time when she had passengers.

'Why did you bother doing it this way Shuuichi-sama? We got to the Reikai without her help before...when you teamed up with Hiei and that piece of trash to steal the Mirror of Utmost Darkness to save Kaasan, and the other two Artefacts to keep them happy.'

'And Koenma's never actually pressed me on _how_ we got in. It was easier to ask for a formal interview, and it guarantees he'll see us when we get there. It also lets me get a little bit of revenge on Botan for looking at you.' Youko knew that if the ferry girl in question looked at him now she'd see how he was blushing. He'd been punished himself for stripping to get rid of her, but he hadn't expected Shuuichi to decide to punish her as well. It was flattering in a weird way. But still...

'I don't understand Shuuichi-sama. How is this revenge on her?'

'It embarrasses her, and I told Koenma that if he'd told her to show more sensitivity to Makai law, I'd have been willing to discuss this matter with her, but since I couldn't trust her not to try and take advantage of my concubine I had to deal with him directly.' That made sense in a weird way. Botan _was_ pretty devoted to Koenma, and if he was put to extra trouble because of her failure she'd be hurting emotionally, especially since Shuuichi had blamed Koenma for her screw up. His words as described had been far more kitsune than Japanese. It was things like this that reminded Youko that his Patron was probably a sadist.

"We're here. Get off." Botan's pain showed in her uncharacteristically curt order. Youko obeyed, eyes cast down appropriately, but Shuuichi smirked at her as he climbed off the oar. "You know the way yourselves."

"Yes, of course Botan. If you're certain you won't be neglecting your duty by leaving us to get to Koenma without an escort." Youko really didn't like how cruelly Shuuichi was twisting the knife in Botan's emotional vulnerabilities, but there was nothing he could do about it, except step a little closer to his Patron, and distract him with thinly hidden fear. _Shuuichi_ might be used to coming here for business, but Youko would never have willingly set foot here before his death without a lot more in the way of precautions - and if he had he'd have been trying to keep from being noticed then.

"I'm not just supposed to provide ferry service for you lot." Botan scowled, and then just left, Shuuichi laughed out loud at that, and pulled Youko close to his body, kissing his forehead then leading him through to speak with Koenma.

"Minamino Shuuichi, Youko Kurama." Koenma was wearing his teenage form, Youko wasn't sure exactly why, but he supposed it didn't really matter. "Don't you want to find out who was behind separating you and turning Youko into a concubine?"

"I want to make sure no one has the chance to take my concubine away from me, yes. If finding out who tried to steal him will help do that then yes I want to find out, so I can kill them. But I make the decisions for the both of us, you should know that, I'm sure you've studied Makai law enough to be aware of it. And I don't appreciate efforts to subvert my desires when it comes to Youko." Shuuichi didn't sound angry, he spoke calmly, and everything he said sounded perfectly logical, to Youko anyway, he wasn't entirely certain Koenma saw things the same way.

"Did you order him to suppress his demon energy then?"

"I didn't need to. It's part of passing for human. But...you wanted him to act as bait. Well, the apartment I keep my concubines in wasn't warded until Botan's visit, but no one went after him there. Are you certain they'll be persistent, since they appear to have almost forgotten about him?"

"We don't have any leads if they _aren't_ persistent Shuuichi. But we've had some reports about the gang we suspect is responsible for this, who have targeted and managed to enslave other unusually high power demons, using tactics similar to the ones used on you two."

"And they managed to persuade enough D to C class demons to die in capturing each of these B to A class demons?"

"Yes, although we aren't clear on how, and we never actually catch any of their actions between capturing the demons, and finding them in some Makai lord's harem." Not that the Reikai would care if it wasn't for the decision to target _him_ Youko reflected bitterly.

"How long have you been monitoring this?" Youko watched from his position cradled against Shuuichi's chest, observing Koenma's controlled anger at being questioned like that.

"About six months. We didn't have the sort of team we needed to deal with this until now, or any way to get at them." Shuuichi seemed to find that explanation acceptable, to Youko's relief...being in the middle of an argument between the two of them wouldn't be fun. Koenma was a lot more powerful than he was, more powerful even than an S-class superior, and he was incapable of even defending himself from Shuuichi.

"Very well. On scheduled trips he'll let his demon energy show, but I want the ability to monitor your tracking device as well. I don't need it, I can track him without it. But I want that option as well, in case someone manages to block our bond."

"Agreed. On what schedule?"

"I don't want my mother put at risk, and when he's with me I don't think they'll go after him, so...Tuesday, Thursdays and Saturdays when he goes to and from Genkai-shihan's temple, and on Wednesdays, on his way to and from his Ikebana lessons. He'll suppress his demon energy when he's actually at the lessons. You can send someone to pick up what those times are."

"Very well. Botan will take you back to wherever you wish."

There hadn't really been any point to Youko attending Shuuichi's meeting with Koenma, other than Koenma's greeting they'd both ignored him, but he wasn't going to say anything like that to Shuuichi. He was grateful to be back at home, where he felt safe, even if they hadn't warded it yet and he stepped away from his Patron's loose embrace, testing his reaction. When his master didn't seem to be angry he decided to risk bringing up the issue of the wards, carefully moving out of Shuuichi's immediate reach. Not that he wouldn't be able to hurt Youko from a distance, but he'd found that his Patron's hurt him less if they had to use their powers, or otherwise think even a little to do so.

"Shuuichi-sama, we were careless, to neglect our wards here." He didn't dare to look directly at Shuuichi, keeping his eyes to the floor, and looking at him from beneath lowered lashes Youko reached for the sense of his Sunstars and Flamehearts to reassure himself - falsely he knew, but he needed that reassurance.

"Yes, we were. It is mostly my fault, as your Patron it is my duty to see to it that you are safe, but under the circumstances I think you should have said something to me when you realised I'd forgotten."

"I forgot as well Shuuichi-sama." If his Patron was admitting to fault so readily it would be best if Youko confessed to sharing that fault. "And after all, why should you make more effort to protect me than you did Kaasan? She was safe enough without the need for wards was she not?"

"We thought so before, but I've already made the plants in our garden into more effective wards, and added some Makai plants for the same reason. I wish I could actually cast spells to make the other, more traditional, type of wards, but it isn't worth the risk of bringing someone who _can_ cast spells here, or to do the same for Kaasan."

"What about Genkai-shihan?"

"She has the ability, but I don't think she has the power reserves. Yuusuke certainly has the pure power, but he doesn't have the skill." Kuwabara might have the power too, but again he didn't have the skill, and he certainly wasn't as powerful as Yuusuke. Hiei and Yukina both had power too strongly based in their elements for that to be any good. And there was no one else trustworthy enough for this.

"Well, the Sunstars and Flamehearts can be set to do double duty as wards..." Youko began planning aloud, hoping that it was what Shuuichi wanted of him.

"Yes, and we can add some carnivorous plants, from the human world if not the Makai, and the Aura vines as well."

"Do we have the seeds for human carnivorous plants Shuuichi-sama?" He'd never used that type of plant from the human world before he'd died, and he didn't remember getting those seeds since.

"Here, I got them before I met Botan." He pulled a few packets of seeds out of his pocket and handed them over to Youko. "I'd rather not used Makai carnivorous plants, because they'd be too aggressive." They probably would, but Youko was surprised that his Patron was bothering to explain himself to _him_. "I've got another idea that I ran by Asuka, adding illusions to the wards, and tying them to the plants. So, since you've got the larger power reserve I want you to prepare the more standard wards, while I add in the illusions."

"Yes Shuuichi-sama." It shouldn't have meant so much to him that his Patron judged him capable of this very simple task, but Shuuichi's swift mastery of all his skills, constant improvement and upgrading, and the way he managed to gain two tails in half the best time it had taken Youko to gain one had done a number on his self-confidence. He glanced through the seeds, identifying them all before deciding where it would be best to place each of them. He'd have rather been permitted time to work on his plan for how to prepare these wards, but he didn't think Shuuichi would permit that so he worked it out as he went along. And throughout his efforts he could feel his Patron's energy working alongside his own in an oddly complimentary way - oddly because it wasn't something he'd ever tried before, and because of the use he was putting that familiar energy to.

By the time they were finished Asuka had returned, and cooked a meal for them, something they could just heat back up, since it had gone cold between her cooking it, and their finishing it.

"You did well my pet." Shuuichi-sama stroked his hair gently as he complimented Youko, and he preened under his Patron's touch. "Here." It was a platinum ring, set with a ruby surrounded by diamonds, and Youko blushed faintly as he put it on.

"D-did you feel the need to reward Asuka, for helping you plan how to add illusions to the wards Shuuichi-sama?" As highly as he thought of his master's skills he wasn't entirely certain even he could have come up with that all alone.

"Yes. She got a gold ring set with a garnet and amethysts. Now come to bed with me." Youko obeyed, following Shuuichi into his bedroom, and wondering what he had planned this time, since he could sense some unusual emotions coming from his Patron. The encounter went normally, right up until they were undressed, Shuuichi taking the lead, and undressing the both of them, but then things changed. Shuuichi pulled Youko down onto his futon, and somehow the silver kitsune found himself on top - and Shuuichi didn't seem angry about it.

'I want you to take me this time my pet. I'm sure you know how to make it pleasing for me.' The added intimacy of Shuuichi speaking directly into his mind when he gave those instructions made Youko shiver with desire. He prepared his Patron with his tongue and fingers, and used the nectar Shuuichi selected for lubrication, but when he entered his Patron it took all his control not to climax immediately, and he froze long enough to calm himself. Eventually he felt ready to start moving again, keeping it torturously slow for him, and bringing Shuuichi to climax before even thinking about climaxing himself.

For the second day in a row Youko woke up with Shuuichi beside him, embracing him, his arousal pressed against Youko's ass, and he _luxuriated_ in it. He was sure that the way his master had allowed him to take him last night had been some sort of turning point for them, but he couldn't say _why_. Still he kept on flashing back to the moment he first felt his Patron lying beneath him, legs spread wide open and accessible, that and the feeling of his master climaxing while he was inside him. It had been wonderful to know that his Patron trusted him with his body the way Youko trusted Shuichi with his, even if it was just a one-off thing, as it almost _had_ to be, and now he was likely to get to spend most of the day with him as well.

Shuuichi let go of him, and rolled over onto his back and Youko took that as a sign. Until last night Shuuichi had always been in total control when they were in bed, and so he'd never dared suggest anything else, but he'd opened the doorway for another option now, and Youko was willing to risk being punished for what he wanted to do. They hadn't bothered to revert the plant that had provided lubrication to a seed last night, and he gathered enough of the nectar to prepare himself, stretching his opening to receive his Patron. He shivered slightly thinking of the possible consequences if he'd guessed _wrong_ then straddled Shuuichi and sank down to impale himself upon his Patron's erection.

It was only a few seconds later that his master woke up, grabbing hold of Youko at the hips and looking up at him with a cruel smile on his lips.

"What are you doing my pet?"

"I wanted to ride you Shuuichi-sama." He refused to cower under that gaze, if he had any hope of _not _being punished it lay in acting confidently, as if he hadn't done anything wrong. And...previous Patrons _had_ enjoyed having him wake them with sex.

"Then ride me." He lay back and laughed as Youko returned to his self-imposed task, moving for his master's pleasure, and taking his own in the process. He loved feeling Shuuichi inside him, more than he'd enjoyed taking him, even though it had been an incredible experience, and a rare treat, but the chance to actually set the pace and control things like this was intoxicating. Still, Shuuichi did tire of the pace he set eventually, finding it too slow apparently, and took hold of his hips again, then lifting him and forcing him to move in the new rhythm he was setting. Shuuichi let his hands fall away as Youko began taking up this new rhythm himself, and Youko hoped he'd be satisfied with that. For a while he was, especially as it occurred to Youko to _touch_ him as well, hands roaming his chest, and gently tweaking his hardened nipples. The moans he got from that were encouraging to say the least, and he became near totally absorbed in trying to get different types of moans, almost forgetting to keep the right rhythm.

"Enough!" And Shuuichi pulled him down and rolled them over so that he was on top. Youko wrapped his legs around his master's waist and submitted as he pounded into him, wrapping a hand around Youko's own aching erection after he'd come himself, and finishing him off with a few strokes. Then Shuuichi pulled out and stood, pulling Youko to his feet too. Youko shivered in pleasure as he was held close to Shuuichi for a deep, dominating kiss. They could kiss for longer than humans could, but even they had to stop eventually to catch their breath.

"Let's shower. I'll need to borrow some of your clothes as well. The Western style ones I think."

"Yes Shuuichi-sama, but you wish me to dress traditionally?"

"You look better like that." He frowned, tilting his head to one side before continuing. "Is there a reason you stay in human form most of the time?"

"Is there a reason _you_ do the same Shuuichi-sama?" Youko watched his master carefully for signs of anger at his almost flippant response before finishing his thoughts. "I just got used to it in the last fifteen years, and since I have to look human outside of here I just don't think to return to my humanoid form when I'm here. It isn't as if it's a strain to look human."

"No, it isn't. Of course it's also easier to use homes designed for humans in their form, although our height in humanoid form is within the limits of human variation." He laughed and led Youko to the bathroom, and into the shower. "And you look good as a human, just as good as you do in your humanoid form."

"Thank you Shuuichi-sama." Youko began the process of washing his Patron's body, not trying to tempt him particularly, but not making any effort to keep from arousing him either. "And you are equally beautiful in both your forms, and far stronger of will than I." It had always been true, even when Shuuichi-sama was an unborn babe.

"But you are more exotic, and your colouring marks you as special among kitsune. Mine doesn't, not really." The most common kitsune were the brown, with red and black kitsune equally rare, or common, depending on how you looked at it, silver were truly rare, happening perhaps once every five hundred years or so, while golden kitsune were rarest of all. The last golden kitsune, who'd died in the massacre of Youko's clan, had been a six-tail, albeit one who almost never showed off his abilities, and had never met, or even heard of another with his colouring in all his 3000 years. Still...

"Your colouring isn't anything like the orange shade most red kitsune have." That made Shuuichi laugh, and start grooming Youko.

"Kuwabara, would you mind sparring with Youko for an hour?" Asuka watched in faint envy as her Patron arranged for his favourite concubine to train with the tall human, before turning to Genkai-shihan to ask her what she was supposed to be doing now.

"You want to train with your Patron don't you Vixen?"

"Yes Genkai-shihan, but you are training me in my element, so it is your decision what I do." She was here every day, while the Reikai Tantei only came to train together once a week - although as Genkai-shihan's heir Yuusuke came to train more often than that.

"Dimwit, spar with Hiei. You can spar with the Fox."

"Thank you Genkai-shihan."

"No ki, just weapons." Asuka bit her lip, thinking about what her Patron's order implied. It would put her on slightly more equal ground with him, since his weapon was something called a shakujou he'd commissioned and only just received, but she was very out of practice. "What sort of weapons are you trained in?"

"I was trained to use a sword, a light sword, and straight, that was what...felt right." And looking at Kuwabara's Reiken she had an idea about _why_ it had felt right. Genkai-shihan had hinted that she might be able to form a weapon from her element, and she'd read about coherent light - laser they called it - in the research she'd done.

"Ah. Genkai-shihan, do you have something she can use until I order her a sword of her own?" Asuka gasped faintly at the idea, it was incredibly generous, and generally Patrons didn't bother to arm their concubines. "You won't get it immediately, it will be your reward either when I've completely mastered everything a four-tail's supposed to be able to do, or when Youko's mastered shapeshifting, depending on when it's ready."

"Th-thank you Shuuichi-sama." She stumbled over expressing her gratitude, but that didn't seem to bother him, and he smiled up at her. Genkai-shihan snorted at them.

"Come with me Vixen, and we'll find a sword." She followed the old warrior into the temple, still dazed by what her Patron had promised her. But she snapped out of it when she saw the armoury Genkai-shihan had hidden.

"How many weapons do you need?" It slipped out before she had the chance to mentally censor it, but the woman didn't seem angry, just mournful.

"They aren't all, or even mostly mine. Some belonged to friends who died, or a lover who I had to part with. And there are some from my students, students I've outlived, or who've outgrown the need for physical weapons." She seemed to shake herself mentally. "Pick whichever sword you like."

"Yes Genkai-shihan." Asuka obediently walked into the armoury and worked her way through the swords, picking up each of them, and starting a kata to decide whether or not it had the right weight or balance for her. She went in with the assumption that any sword in the armoury had to be at least serviceable, and tried five swords before she found the right one. "Might I use this sword for now Genkai-shihan?"

"It belonged to another student of mine before you, yes you may use it."

"Thank you Genkai-shihan." Asuka was very sensible of the honour the human was doing her in naming Asuka her student, even so indirectly. She hadn't done well enough in the initial tests to be worth training, were it not for her unusual elemental gift, and she wasn't learning very fast, not as fast as Shuuichi-sama learned what she could teach him. "You honour me greatly."

Genkai-shihan just snorted and turned away, signalling that the conversation was _over_ and Asuka followed her back to where her Patron was waiting to spar with her.

By the end of the hour she spent sparring with Shuuichi-sama she was near exhausted. The shakujou was totally unpredictable, and the only reason she'd been on anything even vaguely approaching even terms with him was that _he_ didn't seem to be much more familiar with its properties, its strengths and limitations, than she was. A few times she'd been able to sense that he was as surprised by something he did with his weapon as she was, and it had only been a _good_ surprise once.

"Enough." Shuuichi-sama called a halt to their sparring when he cut her dangerously close to a vital area. "Kuwabara, Youko, break it off."

"Dimwit, Hiei you too."

"I can practise some more Old Hag." Yuusuke sounded half grumpy, half insulted, Hiei on the other hand just grunted and had the sense not to protest a rest break.

"Yes, but could I steal your opponent. I'd like to spar with someone I'm less likely to hurt than Asuka. She doesn't have as much stamina as we do. You can have Kuwabara instead, if you want him. Youko's spent long enough training in human form, he's allowed to go and play in the woods now..._after_ he's seen to Asuka's injury. It isn't severe enough to warrant asking Yukina to do anything."

"Let me judge that. She is my pupil, and Yukina is my ward."

"Yes Genkai-shihan." Shuuichi-sama easily yielded to the human as she came down to inspect Asuka's injury. She passed a hand over it, pouring some ki in, then nodded.

"Go ahead Youko, your techniques will do the job." Youko obeyed swiftly, not even trying to conceal his eagerness to go and play in his fox form, while Asuka worked to hide and suppress her own desire to do the same. Not very successfully she had to conclude when Genkai-shihan laughed. "You've earned a bit of a break I suppose...you certainly applied yourself more than the Dimwit does. Go ahead and run about in your other shape."

"Thank you Genkai-shihan." And she left before she could change her mind.


	9. Chapter 9

Youko shifted to his fox form as soon as he reached the forest, managing to avoid even breaking stride as he glanced back to check that Asuka was right behind him. she was, and she'd taken fox form when he had, or before, her two tails streaming behind her. He gave a barking laugh, and twitched his own five tails underneath her nose in an invitation for her to chase him, an invitation she took eagerly. Really he should be the one chasing her based on both their power levels and their positions in Shuuichi's harem, but he was inviting her to stand in for the one he really wanted to do this with, for their Patron.

Still, he wasn't going to let her actually catch him the way he would let Shuuichi catch him - well maybe he wouldn't have to _let_ Shuuichi catch him, but he'd certainly have to let Asuka catch him. And he wasn't going to. Instead he increased his speed, pulling away from her, and starting to jump up into the trees, so she'd get used to that as part of the chase and not get suspicious when he disappeared into them. Then, when he'd gained enough space between them he ducked out of Asuka's sight, and began circling back behind her, pouncing on her, wrestling and pinning her to the ground as she reached the point he'd disappeared at and paused to cast about for his scent.

She offered her throat to his teeth and lifted her tails to expose her sex in wordless yielding and invitation.

'We're demons Asuka. I want to hear you acknowledge my victory before I do anything else.' He let her feel his amusement too, if he'd taken that as his victory she could have tried to turn it around on him, and possibly succeeded since he was still out of practice at using this form.

'You won, you turned the chase around and caught me, now are you going to _take_ me too?' She arched sensuously, and it was tempting, the chase had gotten him worked up, and helped exorcise a few internal demons a bit too, but Shuuichi had never given him general permission to bed Asuka, only specific.

'How do you think our Patron would react to that?' He was teasing a bit, but it was a real concern for him.

'He let you have me before.'

'Once, and after I'd specifically asked permission for that time. In some harems it's permitted, but not in others, it varies. One time a Patron of mine liked watching his concubines fuck, and encouraged it even when he wasn't watching, but another Patron nearly killed two concubines for sleeping together, and he had the rest of us watch.' She all too obviously hadn't thought about any of that, and her body language changed as the idea sunk in, her tails dropping to cover her sex. Youko let her up, backing away a bit. 'If you want this then you can ask him for general permission. It doesn't matter that much to me, because _I'm_ getting laid by our Patron on a regular basis.' Slight taunting, nothing she could get too angry about, just a reminder that Shuuichi favoured him over her. He had to remind her - and himself - that he outranked her in this particular harem every so often, or the teaching thing would make him start to submit to her.

'Or to me.' If she ever needed to odds were she'd do the same thing he had, and transfer to a human body; if he'd known the procedure she had to. And any kitsune who didn't have some sort of bad experience and issues related to sex would be going mad with the near celibacy she was living with, especially when there were another two kitsune getting all the sex they wanted in the same apartment. 'You want to chase me now?' She waved her own tails invitingly, and Youko pounced, catching one lightly between his teeth.

'Yes, I'll give you a count of one hundred as a head start. Feel free to use your element and other powers if it helps, I'll be using my plants.' He could feel her apprehension at that, but she ran off anyway when he released her tail. He gave her the time he'd promised, and then he began chasing her, following her scent, and the other signs, including some that he might not have noticed without his affinity with the plants of the forest. The two illusions Asuka tried to use to hide larger than usual damage were both easy to penetrate with his quest-class ability, something she mustn't have realised, but the foxfire she left every so often was distracting, and once his presence triggered it to glow strongly enough to flash-blind him for a few seconds. All in all it was a fun chase, more than when he'd been the one chased, and when he found her he had fun pinning the vixen to the ground, and forcing her to expose her belly and throat. And this time she knew better than to invite him to fuck her.

'Do you think Genkai-shihan would like it if we caught some rabbits for her?'

'Yukina probably would, more to the point. She'll be able to use them for meals, if not today then later.' Youko got up and began scenting for rabbits. They hunted separately, and Youko had three rabbits and a partridge by the time Shuuichi summoned them beck to the main temple, while Asuka had two partridges, but no rabbits.

"Shuuichi-sama?" Asuka wasn't entirely sure _why_ she was bringing this up when just a few months ago she'd have thought she'd never want to have sex again, or why she was bringing it up now, in front of Genkai and her master's friends, but if she didn't speak now she had the feeling her courage would fail her entirely. And even though Shuuichi-sama and Youko were the only two people she'd lain with who hadn't hurt her she was sure sex was meant to be about more than pain, and that if anyone could help her change her assumptions Youko could. Shuuichi-sama hadn't _hurt_ her when he'd taken her to complete the claim, he'd made sure she was ready for him to take her, and it hadn't been unpleasant, but nothing spectacular, and he'd made it very clear he was doing it as a duty, nothing more. But _Youko_ had been so gentle with her, and he'd made her climax for what was the first time in her life; he'd been aroused when he came to her, and he'd said their Patron had given him permission to be with her. She'd expected him to take his pleasure, perhaps even hurt her a little to remind her that he was her better in so many ways despite his ignorance, and instead he'd made sure she understood that she had the option to say no...a luxury she'd never had before, and made sure she came at least once before he did.

"What is it Asuka?" He didn't sound annoyed that she was being so presumptuous, he sounded relaxed and ready to listen to her, and that was another reason she should make her request _now_, before he changed his mind.

"I...Youko said that some Patrons allow their concubines to share their bodies, but others do not." She tried to keep it a little vague, in the hope that the humans wouldn't understand. "As a general rule are we permitted to take comfort in one another? Youko said the previous occasion was with specific permission."

"My needs and desires come first, but otherwise go ahead, unless I've specifically forbidden it for some reason. Did you really think I'd forbid you to be with Asuka, Youko?" He sounded half puzzled, and half amused at the idea.

"I...you made it very clear that it is her skills as a teacher that make her valuable to you, and you know how much harem politics can screw things up. You reminded me that I am dependent on her to teach me what you wish me to know before you gave me permission last time." Was that the only reason he'd been so nice to her? Asuka didn't want to believe it, but... 'I would have cared about your pleasure too anyway, but his reminder gave me extra motivation.'

"We've spent too long pretending to be human." Shuuichi-sama laughed, and the two humans looked at him in slight shock. "Or I scare you a lot more than I thought I did." He stroked Youko's cheek gently. "Am I _that_ much of a monster?" His voice sounded wistful, but there was pure steel underlying it.

"N-no. You aren't a monster, but you are _very_ dominant, and...determined."

"Oh. What brought this on anyway Asuka?" When Shuuichi-sama focused fully on her for the first time since he'd bought her Youko's fear of him made sense in a way it hadn't before.

"We were playing, and it came up." Keep it vague to avoid scandalising the humans. "Youko refused what seemed to be the natural end to the game."

"Care to tell me what game it was?" His voice was teasingly seductive, and Asuka shut her eyes for a moment to enjoy it, she _knew_ that normally she wouldn't merit so much attention from any four-tail, let alone one as talented as Shuuichi-sama.

"Wait a second. Are you three talking about sex? 'Cause that's what it sounds like. And what sort of game would naturally end in sex?" Yuusuke sounded shocked and almost appalled.

"A chasing game. We were in fox form, and Youko pinned me to win. We were _trying_ to be discrete about it, to avoid offending your sensibilities." Asuka blushed when she realised how assertive she'd sounded then, back in the brothels she'd have been beaten very badly for letting any client realise she thought he'd said something stupid. It had to be the way Youko and Shuuichi-sama wanted her to teach them that was affecting her, making her forget her place.

"You shouldn't be talking about that sort of thing here." Kuwabara looked vaguely offended by the discussion, even if he'd only just realised what they were talking about, and Asuka decided it would be best to look chastised, so as not to offend her Patron's friends.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think to communicate telepathically, but I have very little experience in maintaining a telepathic link with more than one person." That seemed to catch Shuuichi-sama and Youko's full attention, while Hiei looked vaguely disdainful.

"Ignore Kuwabara, he's just a prude. More than one person, do you mean you have little experience in linking to more than one person individually, or that you know how to form a link that includes three or more people, allowing all to communicate, as in speech, without the need for relays?"

"The latter, why?" It was more complex than linking to just one person, but knowing how to do that was part of being fully trained.

"Because I do not know how to perform the latter task, and nor does Shuuichi-sama." Youko spoke quietly eyes focused on the meal in front of him, in a way that unnerved Asuka.

"Well, if you can do that then you'll just have to teach us that little trick as well." There was something vaguely satisfied in Shuuichi-sama's voice, in the prospect of gaining more skills, of learning to use his power more effectively, and that was comforting in a way nothing else was.

"Yes, Shuuichi-sama." Asuka would not say anything else, and eventually the conversation turned to something else.

Youko was relieved that after lunch Shuuichi had decided they'd be studying the second type of telepathic link while Yuusuke and Kuwabara were dragged into practising the more refined applications of their abilities, like setting up wards. Shuuichi had just mentioned that they'd been setting up their own wards on his apartment, and that had seemed to spark interest in Yuusuke. Kuwabara had been brought in to encourage Yuusuke, since he always did better if he had a rival. And somehow Shuuichi had managed to persuade Hiei to join in as well, even if he did have difficulties moderating the power he used in his telepathic contacts. Or perhaps because of that difficulty, it didn't matter.

Hiei mastered the technique Asuka was showing them faster even than Shuuichi did, but Youko thought uncharitably that in part it had to be a result of the headaches the kitsune all got every time he initiated the link. Asuka was the only one willing to openly admit it, and try to advise Hiei on how to put less power into his telepathy, but Youko could see the shadow of pain behind Shuuichi's eyes.

Shuuichi had mastered the technique by the time Botan arrived, obviously too wary of Shuuichi to visit his apartment again unannounced, and Youko had just thought he was getting it, when she spoke up from behind him, scattering his thoughts.

"Hello everyone!" And she sounded as perky as always. Youko jumped and spun on his knees to face her, pressing his back against Shuuichi's chest, ignoring the fact that he was taller at the moment. He bowed his head to let his hair hide his blush when he heard Hiei laughing, but he was sure Botan had reason to resent him, and even if she wasn't powerful enough to be dangerous in a fight there were other things she could do.

"Botan-san." Shuuichi's voice was cold and formal, his anger at her still apparent without the need for any expression of emotion such as the humans indulged in. "Do you have a new mission for us?" As if she couldn't be here for friendship's sake, or anything but business - couldn't be here, or couldn't be _welcome_, it amounted to the same thing.

"No, but you promised Koenma-sama information on your concubine's movements yesterday."

"Yes, I did. Youko, would you happen to have brought the information with you?" Shuuichi was stroking his hair gently, reassuring him without words. "It's alright if you haven't, we had no reason to expect Botan to ask for it here, and I did not instruct you to bring it with you after all."

"No, I brought it. I didn't think Botan would be willing to come to the apartment again, not after how badly it reflected on her with Koenma when she began to hassle me there on Thursday." Youko'd put the piece of paper with the times he would be travelling that Shuuichi was allowing him to be used as bait for in his pocket, and he pulled it out, handing it over to the ferry girl. "Here is the information my master promised yours." He bit the inside of his lip lightly, glancing back over his shoulder at Shuuichi before continuing. "Besides, we've improved the wards on the apartment enough that you might have difficulty getting in the way you did before."

'But it would be amusing to see her try.' Accompanying his Patron's words was a mental image of what their wards might do to the ferry girl, nothing lethal - although they _could_ be and _would_ be to a demon, but painful and inconveniencing definitely.

'I wish I knew a way to add my light to your wards, Shuuichi-sama.' Youko hadn't realised that Shuuichi had created a three way link; perhaps even a four way link adding in Hiei, there was a strange, for lack of a better term, weight to the link that might imply the Jaganshi's presence, or at least he thought it might; until he heard Asuka respond to their Patron's message.

'Perhaps later.' And then Shuuichi dissolved the link, leaving Youko to notice the faint blush on Botan's cheeks. "Or perhaps she went there earlier, when she expected us to be here, so she could complain about our not being available for her to collect these." There was an edge of cruelty in Shuuichi's voice, something that had Hiei looking at him with approval, obvious to anyone who knew him well...in other words Youko and Shuuichi. "And perhaps you intended to complain about our wards, about my belated recognition of how important they are in allowing me to fulfil my duty to protect my concubines."

Whatever Botan had been about to say, she obviously couldn't say it now, and she knew it, knew how easily and how well Shuuichi had manipulated her. Instead she glared at Youko, the easier target.

"Koenma expects you to start actually playing bait instead of hiding yourself away like a coward at the earliest opportunity." She looked down at the schedule he'd given her, a look of contempt on her face. "That would be Tuesday, on your way here."

"And I expect you're also here to tell the rest of the Tantei about _why_ Youko's playing bait, and who you're expecting to come after him. Unless you intended for me to deal with those who Koenma thinks are trying to take my concubine by myself?" Shuuichi's voice was cold and cuttingly contemptuous.

"I...it isn't my decision. And Koenma didn't give me any instructions to..."

"Then I suggest you go and _get_ his approval. Of course he might well have expected you to have the intelligence to think - no, of course not. It must have just slipped his mind since he informed me of it personally. Well, what are you waiting for, go!" Youko felt a guilty pleasure in watching the flustered ferry girl leave. He didn't resent her for the fact that his Patron had punished him on Friday, but it was funny, and she couldn't blame him for it.

Yuusuke cursed as he messed up his ward _again_. To make it worse _Kuwabara_ was doing better than he was, and Kuwabara hadn't even wanted to learn it. His friend had managed to form wards, even if they weren't very strong, or well constructed, but Yuusuke couldn't even do that and the old hag was calling him Dimwit as usual. This was something he really wanted to be able to do, make wards. That way he'd be able to protect Keiko and his mom even when he wasn't there, at least while they were at home. But Shizuru could more than take care of herself, much better than Keiko could anyway, Keiko wasn't helpless, but she was just a normal human, she didn't have the spiritual senses and power Kuwabara and his sister did. And Yukina was a demon herself, she'd be able to defend herself as long as she wasn't warded, besides which she lived with _Genkai_.

Genkai didn't look too happy about his failure either.

"Give me your wrists." When he obeyed she put some more of those ki-binders on him, just like in the Dark Tournament. "Part of it is you're putting too much power into the damn things at first. Try now." She wasn't happy about doing it this way, even if Yuusuke couldn't see why, but when he tried again he got much further than he had before, they still failed because he was putting too much power in, but it was an improvement. The old hag sighed.

"You can learn how to make wards like this first. Then I'll gradually increase the portion of your ki you have access to, until you can make them without this crutch. Kuwabara, practise by yourself."

"Sure Genkai." Yuusuke wasn't sure how much of his ki was cut off, but he felt noticeably weaker, and he got further with his wards this time, remembering to reduce the power he used to set them up. When he managed to set up three sets of wards, even the badly constructed ones that were all he could manage, in a row Genkai let him access a bit more of his power, and had him start all over again.

"We won't try for real wards, the sort I use just yet. You have enough power to set up a number of wards in layers, and that gives you some leeway, as long as they don't just collapse because you put too much power in too quickly or because you screwed them up some other way. Show me again."

He was just starting to work with his full power again when Botan appeared.

"Hello Yuusuke, Kuwabara, Genkai-shihan." Yuusuke was the only one surprised, and he poured _far_ too much power into the ward he was working on, enough that it exploded like a Rei-gun blast. It didn't hurt him, the old hag jumped out of range and Kuwabara already was, but it scared him...what if Kuwabara hadn't been out of range? Or the old hag had been just a bit less alert?

"Don't _do_ that!" If Kuwabara wasn't there he'd probably have grabbed and shaken her, but the other teen was too honourable to let him intimidate a woman that way. "You nearly got them killed!" And that earned him a clip around the ear from Genkai.

"I'm not that easily killed Dimwit."

"But you could still have been hurt." Yuusuke knew his power was growing at a freakish rate, ever since Genkai had transferred her power to him at the Dark Tournament.

"Hurt yes. Not killed. What was so important Botan?"

"Koenma has a mission for you, sort of."

"Sort of? How can he 'sort of' have a mission for us?" Yuusuke was pissed off and it showed, he'd just been getting somewhere with his wards, somewhere he could actually use them to protect his mother and Keiko when Botan interrupted.

"I should explain it to everyone at once. Can you come with me, both of you?" They nodded, and followed, the old hag came too, finding Hiei standing over and glaring at the two male kitsune.

"Did Botan interrupt your training too Yuusuke?" Kurama, the one he sometimes forgot was a demon - and who hadn't been a demon until Youko possessed his body in the womb, smiled at them with a casual cruelty that was directed at Botan, Yuusuke wondered what that was about. "She disturbed Youko just as he was mastering what we were studying. But you'll be pleased to know that he did master it shortly after you left." He stood, with a fluidity of motion Yuusuke could only envy and just barely emulate, pulling his two concubines up as he did. "Asuka, why don't you go practise something Genkai-shihan's taught you? That is if you've gotten far enough?"

"Yes Shuuichi-sama." The vixen glanced at Genkai, and left when she nodded.

"Well? What's the mission?" Yuusuke was getting impatient, and it showed.

"There's a Makai gang that's been enslaving high power demons, as concubines. They use the same techniques used to get those things on Youko as far as we know. We want Youko to act as bait for them, and everyone else ready to deal with them when we've located them." Yuusuke was surprised she'd been so blunt, she normally talked around things a bit, but the glare Kurama was directing at her as he cradled Youko to his chest might have had something to do with it.

"They say they can track him if he's taken, and I can too. I'm not so sure he's still a target, but there isn't another way immediately available. He's going to stop suppressing his energy when he's travelling between the apartment and here, and to his Ikebana lessons." Flower arranging? With his plant affinity Youko had to be top of the class...Yuusuke was surprised he needed the lessons at all. Not that he was going to say that.

"Why did you need to tell us now then? You already said something about this when they separated." Yuusuke blinked at Kuwabara's complaint; _he_ didn't remember Botan saying that.

"Kurama suggested it might be a good idea. So you wouldn't think anything was wrong if you sensed his energy. Koenma agreed." Botan didn't sound happy, Yuusuke wasn't sure why not, but Kurama looked vaguely satisfied.

"Besides, this way you learn about it all together, rather than we demons knowing about it before you humans."

"Yes, that too." Botan looked faintly flustered, as if she'd expected Kurama to say something else and left.

Youko wondered absently if making himself look absolutely stunning would make him feel better. He didn't know why he felt so melancholy, he didn't have reason to after all. Shuuichi had spent as much of last night on his pleasure as on his own, and had repeatedly reassured Youko that the younger kitsune was _not_ going to let anyone take him away easily. If he couldn't have his Patron's love, the love he hungered for so desperately, then at least he'd have his desire and his possessiveness. He shook his head in frustration, he'd been sitting about feeling sorry for himself half the morning and that wasn't getting anything done. He was supposed to go and visit Shiori-sama immediately after lunch, and truthfully his hair was filthy, more grey-brown than silver.

He didn't have time for a bath, so a shower would have to do, shaving his legs and beneath his arms as well. He preferred baths, even with the traditional requirement that he be clean _before_ getting in the furo that Shuuichi insisted on, since he could relax in them, but in the ningenkai it took far too much advance planning to have a bath any time he wanted one. He was spoiled, he admitted it, before merging with Shuuichi temporarily he'd happily bathed in ice cold streams, to keep clean. They both used the most expensive toiletries around as well, the stuff that was hand-made, that they could sense tiny traces of plants in with their ki if they could find any. Most of the artificial stuff smelled too strong, and just plain wrong to them, and it inhibited their sense of smell too.

He caught his hair up in a towel as he moved to his bedroom, rather than let it drip all over the floor, and began the slow process of drying it, using four towels to blot the water out of it, one by one. From there he could leave it to finish drying naturally. The next issue was what he would wear. He was almost tempted to wear one of the formal kimono Shuuichi had bought him, the pink and violet outfit, or just the black informal kimono, but he knew that Shiori-sama preferred seeing him in Western clothes. It was funny, really. He'd have expected it to be the opposite way, for the older woman to prefer more traditional clothing and the younger man to prefer modern clothing, but then Shuuichi had always been oddly formal, and Youko knew he didn't get it from him.

He wanted luxury today, and he searched out black pure silk knitted stockings, gossamer fine, and a black silk basque along with a black dancer's belt. That covered his underwear, but what else? Shuuichi had taken both of his concubines shopping after they'd finished at Genkai's yesterday, as a reward for the new way of using their telepathy. he'd given them both the same amount of money to spend in one of about five stores, two jewellers, one shoe shop, and two clothes stores. Asuka had been overjoyed at the favour he was showing, even if Youko found it a bit of an insult to be told where to shop. Still he'd found a silver belt made up of disks set with a black pearl at the centre of each disk - it had cost only a little less than Shuuichi had given him, but it had been worth it, he could show that off today.

So, to build his outfit around that single piece...Shuuichi had laughed when he saw what Youko had chosen to buy, and added some silver hair pins and combs set with black pearls as well. He'd use those to put his hair up, telekinetically, he'd learned how to do that himself, and he wasn't going to bother about keeping it from being too elaborate. But that could wait until _last_, the clothes came first, jewellery after that, then make-up, a bit more dramatic than he normally bothered with and including nail polish and hair last of all, giving it time to dry out some more.

He had an appropriate dark grey tunic of heavy watered silk, and his silver cross would work as well, but what about the skirt? Pants wouldn't feel right if he wanted to put the extra effort into his appearance. Besides his pants weren't meant for formal occasions anyway. But he did have a dark green full heavy velvet silk skirt, and it had swung wonderfully against his legs when he tried it on.

Youko dressed slowly, enjoying the feel of the silk against his skin, the luxury it represented, even as he despised the need to wear the dancer's belt to hide his gender. But he paused before putting on his tunic and skirt, not sure what had stopped him until he realised that he wanted to wear a shift beneath them, he swiftly found one made of fine silk and edged with lace, it was a grey just one shade lighter than his tunic. The skirt and tunic followed the shift, then he fastened the belt around his hips and took a look at himself in the mirror. He saw an elegant lady with subtle curves and a narrow waist that the belt drew attention to. But the face and hair didn't match the clothes. He'd leave his necklace until _after_ he'd done his hair after all, it would get tangled in his hair otherwise, but he put his ruby and diamond ring on as well as his Claddagh.

He didn't normally use foundation, but this time he did, to heighten his pale skin. Then he painted his eyes with dark greys, dramatically drawing attention to them, especially when he added the eyeliner and mascara. His lips he painted a very pale amber colour, and he decide it would be best to do his nails last of all. He put his hair up into a style it would have been impossible for any human to create alone, using his telekinesis to hold it in place as he added the pins and combs to keep it secure once he relaxed his hold. He fastened the necklace around his neck, momentarily wishing Shuuichi was there to do this for him, and then painted his nails silver grey as he had the first time he met Shiori-sama in this guise.

This _had_ improved his mood, primping and preening like this, he realised as he paused in the entrance room, and Youko was sure he didn't like what that said about him. He opened the closet to look for a pair of shoes and decided he might as well go all the way, pulling out a pair of boots he'd never expected to wear. They were black patent leather, knee high with three inch spike heels, when before this the highest heels he'd worn were the one and a half inches of his court shoes. Still, with how expensive they were they shouldn't be too uncomfortable, and Shuuichi had put some gel cushions in for him as well.


	10. Chapter 10

Shiori was surprised at how...formally Akari was dressed when she came for her regular lesson in the tea ceremony and gossip session, even if her acquaintances were not in Shiori's circles. It was still a western style outfit, and perfectly suited for daytime wear, but she'd obviously put far more effort into it than she normally did, and her hair was up in a traditional style of the nobility while her make-up drew attention to her eyes dramatically. And when she removed her boots Shiori had to comment.

"Don't you have trouble walking in heels like that? I would."

"This is the first time I've worn these shoes Shiori-sama. They aren't exactly comfortable, but I can walk in them, as long as it isn't _too_ far. Kitsune all have very good balance, even in human form, and that helps. I'm surprised it was the shoes you commented on first."

"It would be rude to ask why you went to so much effort today, that would imply that you don't try to look good normally." Akari blinked in surprise at that.

"Actually I was referring to the new jewellery. I felt miserable today for some reason, and I thought doing this might help." Shiori wondered absently if Akari realised how typically _feminine_ a thing that was considering...and she pushed the thought of Youko from her mind.

"The belt..." That was the most obvious thing, and looking over Akari, from head to toe Shiori noticed the difference in her hair ornaments. "and the hair pins and combs. When did you get those?" It was obviously the question Akari had been expecting or hoping for because she half closed her eyes in pleasure and smiled sensuously.

"Shuuichi-sama bought them for me yesterday. Do you want to hear about things that most ningen cannot do, or will you just accept that he wanted to reward us for something and what that reward was?" Shiori blinked at Akari's question, she had a feeling the kitsune was offering her a lot of trust, but she couldn't explain _what_ made her feel that. Asking Akari to leave her in the dark would probably be seen as throwing that trust right back in her face.

"Tell me whatever you feel comfortable talking about. Did it work, putting the extra effort into your appearance in an effort to counter your mood I mean?"

"Yes. I suppose I'm beginning to think like a concubine again, I thought I'd put that behind me a _long_ time ago." She glanced down looking almost ashamed. "But...Shuuichi-sama is very strong, stronger than I am in terms of will. And I agreed to be his concubine in exchange for being allowed to share his body until I was strong enough to survive without that, even if I didn't remember it for a long time." Then she looked up and smiled ruefully. "You were told about how a spell separated us. Well, Koenma-sama informed us of who he suspects was responsible. They've been capturing beautiful high-level demons and turning them into concubines, and I've been ordered to act as bait. Never when it would be any risk to you Shiori-sama, Shuuichi-sama wouldn't permit it, but at other times, times that Koenma-sama will be monitoring me. Not that a concubine can actually be stolen, but I think he put a spell on my collar and cuffs to hide that I'm claimed." That was more than enough reason for melancholy, but she blushed as she referred to being claimed. "But that isn't what you were asking, is it?"

"No, I don't think so. But it was nice to hear about your work." It bothered Shiori a bit that her son had to put his life at risk for this Koenma because he'd saved _her_ life, but there was nothing she could do about that and at least Akari wasn't keeping her in the dark about it.

"I'm glad your son is willing to allow me to join him in his work. By Makai law he has every right to forbid me to do anything but stay in the apartment he provided and serve his pleasure, but he doesn't do that. He even bought Asuka as a teacher for us in how to use our powers, I know he told you about that, and he allows me to be included in those lessons. It was because of one of those lessons that he rewarded us yesterday." Akari bit her lip, obviously deciding how best to phrase things. "One ability all kitsune share is weak telepathy. We're limited to communicating with people who possess high spiritual energy, and other demons of course. I never actually had time to learn how to do that, but Shuuichi-sama visited the Makai when he was eight and bought a night with Asuka, and then he bought a weak demon to teach himself how to use telepathy, and he shared that ability with me. What neither of us knew was that it is possibly to communicate with more than one person telepathically, and allow them to hear each other without simply relaying their thoughts for them. Asuka mentioned that it was possible yesterday, and we spent the rest of the day mastering that little trick." Akari smiled and gestured to her new jewellery as she spoke. "This was a reward for learning so fast on my part, and teaching so well on Asuka's. The funny part is, one of our team-mates, Hiei, is a Jaganshi. That means he had a Jagan eye implanted which gives him great psychic abilities, including telepathy, telekinesis, clairvoyance and such. Well _he_ didn't know that trick was possible either so he joined in our lessons. Gave us kitsune all a headache because he isn't very good at moderating the power put into his telepathy." Akari frowned in concentration. "I think that might be because it isn't natural to him, and the Jagan is intended to give a high level of power." Shiori wasn't sure what she meant, but it didn't matter, she obviously did. Then Akari shook her head. "Enough about that. How was your weekend?"

Youko shivered at the knowledge that he was going to be letting everyone with the slightest bit of spiritual awareness know that a demon was walking the streets of Tokyo. He _didn't_ want to do this, five-tail or no, reputation aside, he was a thief, not a fighter. _Shuuichi_ was a fighter, and he didn't mind the way Koenma expected them to kill the enemies he directed them to when sometimes a simple theft could have resolved things far more easily. And Youko didn't really believe this gang Koenma wanted to use him as bait for were stupid enough to think he'd be left 'free' after they'd put him in a concubine's collar and cuffs.

He'd wear the black informal kimono he'd rejected for visiting Shiori-sama, and dress as a woman, putting a lot of effort into it. That had worked to make him feel better yesterday, perhaps it would calm his nerves today.

"Asuka, do my hair for me, something suitably elaborate." Youko glanced over at the vixen, assessing her reaction to his appearance as she moved to obey. She seemed disconcerted, even though he'd done this before, visited Genkai-shihan dressed as a woman, because it helped to dress the same way as his pupil. Yukina was marginally more comfortable around females, or those who looked female, and it meant he could show her ways to hide weapons in her kimono using his own as demonstration.

"Do you like appearing female?" She sounded just a little bit puzzled by the idea, even though there were other demons who indulged that particular kink, and obviously this included kitsune considering that five-tails were said to be able to change their gender on the surface.

"Not really. But Shiori requires it when I visit her, and the rituals involved in looking good as a female are calming." As he spoke Youko used his telekinesis to paint his face and nails without disturbing Asuka's work. "Besides, I need to go shopping after we visit Genkai-shihan, and the shops Shuuichi-sama has set accounts up for me in know me as a female." And they were expensive enough that the food wasn't all sold out by noon.

"This is the first time you'll be playing bait for that gang Koenma's after? But why would that make _you_ nervous?" Youko wished that she didn't admire him so much, him or his reputation, surely by now she could see that he'd managed to seem a hell of a lot more dangerous than he really was? But she had a point.

"It shouldn't, that's why Shuuichi-sama claimed me, so that I wouldn't be vulnerable to manipulation using the unatuned collar and cuffs the trash who split us put on me, but...I suppose I've fallen back into reacting as a concubine, not as a thief. Concubines aren't supposed to do things like this, and even though Koenma made my joining the Tantei a condition of him not throwing me in a Reikai jail it seems odd to me. I was almost never in charge during the last sixteen years, ever since I was stupid enough to make a bargain with an unborn soul who'd stolen my memories." Youko laughed bitterly, waiting to hear Asuka's reaction. He'd been a concubine when he'd been young, long before he'd been strong enough to avoid slavery and protect himself by any other means and it had left signs that lasted.

"Shuuichi-sama is _that_ strong then? How is it that you're a five-tail and he's a four-tail then?"

"I don't know, all I know is that I was a four-tail before I died, and I was expecting to be a three-tail when I took over his body after ten years and remade it into my demon form. But I couldn't take over his body then." Youko frowned before continuing. "If you want to know about our tails you should ask Shuuichi-sama, he's much better at that sort of thing than I am. He taught himself telepathy and telekinesis from your description of them when he was eight, then turned around and taught them to me. When I hadn't learned them in over a thousand years since my clan were killed." Asuka whistled in shock and admiration at that.

"Speaking of learning abilities, he's almost mastered shapeshifting, as much as he can anyway, and he'll be getting started on learning how to use foxfire within two weeks at most. I don't know how much longer he'll find me useful."

"At least until I manage to master the skills you have to teach. He has ningen schooling to do and I'll learn better if you're there to help me. And I think I'm almost ready to start on shapeshifting. Look." Youko created an illusion of Sai in front of them both, complete except for his lack of ki, and then he added the facsimile of a human ki he'd worked on and the illusion wavered, settling down with tiny imperfections even as it started moving, apparently of its own volition. "And I can do the same in the dreamscape...well, my efforts in the dreamscape are just a little bit better."

"He'll be pleased to know that I'm sure. Do you need advice on the final stage, or just more practice do you think?" Asuka had finished with Youko's hair by now, and he twisted around on his knees to look at her.

"More practice should do it. I haven't been able to imbue ki into my illusions as I create them from the start, so I've settled for doing it in two phases, creating the illusion and then imbuing ki into it. Do you know if that's how it's normally done?"

"No, I couldn't say. I'm sorry."

"My way seems to work well enough." Youko shrugged and stood, holding his hand out to help Asuka to her feet. "I...he didn't say I had to keep quiet about this...and Shuuichi-sama already told you about his plans to give you a sword as a later reward." Asuka looked interested by Youko's slightly disjointed explanation. "He told me that he intends to reward you with some expensive jewellery when I master illusions." She gasped and her pleasure showed on her face.

"Truly? Shuuichi-sama just made his breakthrough on shapeshifting yesterday. I don't think he realised how close he was to mastering it when he promised me that sword."

"That is what he said. You told him it would be easier to teach one person to shapeshift at a time. So perhaps I should learn how to partially suppress my aura from him while he's finishing off shapeshifting."

"Whichever you think would be more useful." That gave Youko something to think about, but they had to leave for Genkai-shihan's temple then.

Youko bit his lip uncertainly as Shuuichi emerged from Asuka's bedroom. The other kitsune had just swept by him earlier when he arrived in the apartment, ignoring the way Youko was kneeling and waiting for his arrival. It had probably been his eagerness to work on the shapeshifting more, he'd _said_ that he wanted to gain power in a way that Youko didn't, but it had _felt_ like a deliberate snub and it had scared Youko. Now he wasn't certain he dared approach his Patron with his news, even though it was something he'd wanted that Youko had been less enthusiastic about. But he hadn't been able to bring himself to leave his position, he was certain that his master would want to hear his report even if he hadn't given that order. Shuuichi looked displeased at something he noted as he looked up at him from beneath lowered lashes.

"I don't have time to play with you tonight, not here. But Asuka said you had something to tell me?"

"To show you actually Shuuichi-sama." He'd planned how to do this and he quickly constructed his illusion of Sai in the kitchen, starting to add the ki signature a little bit before the illusion was complete, then instructed it to enter the main room.

"You've mastered your illusions? Well done. What sort of reward do you want?"

"I...it isn't quite mastered yet, there's a few imperfections, but nothing I can't fix with a bit more practise."

"Hmm." The contemplative hum Shuuichi gave sounded _approving_, that was a good sign, wasn't it? "You're looking at it a bit more critically than I am then. Show me the problems."

"I think it helps that I built the illusion and added ki where you couldn't see it, but he doesn't move quite right, a bit too smoothly and gracefully to be human, unless he's a high-level martial artist." Youko stood, as his illusion settled into seiza and bent to take hold of his chin, lifting the head up. "And you see the eyes aren't quite right, the colour's a bit too even, and so is the skin tone." Then he lifted one of the illusion's hands. "And the nails reflect the light a bit too much. I built the illusion out of your sight so you couldn't see how he changed when I added the ki."

"Can you tie an illusion to something living without problems, including making the ki signature look like it matches the illusion?"

"Yes, that actually comes out looking better than this."

"Then as far as I'm concerned you've mastered illusion work. If you want to spend a bit more time refining it, eliminating errors that aren't really noticeable I won't mind, or you could start on shapeshifting. Remember, as a rule people tend to fill in details that don't exist, rewriting their memories to fit what they expect. So if your illusions are accurate for the most part people will overlook little imperfections like the ones you showed me."

"Th-thank you." Youko couldn't quite believe what he was hearing.

"Now, tell me what you want me to buy you as a reward. I can pick up some nice jewellery for Asuka easily enough."

"I...a proper goban, not just one of those cheap folding things. It doesn't have to be kaya-wood or anything, cassia wood will do just fine, I just...a folding one, a travelling goban, it'll feel too temporary." It shouldn't have mattered so much, the type of goban he had, but Youko played Go as the only way he could remember Sai, and he didn't want to honour Sai with anything less than a proper goban.

"I see. Sai again?" He obviously didn't want an answer because he continued right on. "I might just give you both then, a 'proper' goban and a travelling one, or I might not. Either way you can tell Asuka that I'm very pleased and will reward you both sometime soon."

"Yes Shuuichi-sama." Youko dismissed the illusion and tilted his head, waiting for further instructions.

"You can also tell her to start teaching you how to shapeshift. I'd love to stay and play," A rueful laugh accompanied that, but Youko understood that his Patron didn't want Shiori-sama to worry. "but come to me tonight in the dreamscape."

"As you desire Shuuichi-sama. Might I show what I have learned of working with the dreamscape by creating a scenario for us?" This was extremely impudent and presumptuous, but he hoped that his master would excuse his behaviour as an excuse to display his abilities. He seemed to be in luck, Shuuichi didn't look too angry at him.

"What were you planning?"

"Umm...symbolic deflowering of one kami's avatar by the avatar of another kami, in front of an audience." Youko blushed as he explained, knowing how strange it was, but that would display everything he'd learned.

"I get to deflower you, do I? That sounds interesting. Go ahead." Youko smiled in relief as his Patron gave permission for his plan and kissed him before leaving. He might as well go to bed immediately, since the scenario would take quite a bit of setting up. He just wished that for once his Patron would act like he _cared_ about Youko. But he knew that was really too much to hope for, at least yet. He was a concubine, not a Consort. Concubines were there to relieve their Patron's urges whenever it took their master's fancy, Consorts were the ones who got caring to go with the protection. He resolutely pushed his long hidden desire aside, it was stupid in a way, Shuuichi had never given him reason to hope.

Youko decided it would be best to get as much time as possible to prepare his scenario, so he went to bed immediately. Temples first, Shuuichi would need somewhere to be briefed on his role; the forest would work for a backdrop, mostly, but he tweaked the season to early spring, just coming out of winter, to fit the theme. Shuuichi's temple was small, just four rooms, a kitchen, a bedroom for 'the god' and where he was prepared for his worshippers' eyes, a smaller bedroom, almost a cell, really for his priest and an audience chamber, and it was built from red sandstone. Youko's temple was almost identical, but made of white limestone instead. And the ritual temple was more a large auditorium, based on the Roman model, all the temples were Romano-Grecian in style as a matter of fact, since Japanese style buildings wouldn't have had the right effect, and this style looked elegant.

Next was the priest, of Shiveteraso Youko had decided; it was a totally fictitious god, of change, and in this case, the changing of the seasons, and ceremonial garments to dress Shuuichi in. A dark green silk kimono with a white abstract pattern that hinted at melting snow and a red silk obi with a pattern reminiscent of flames. He constructed the priest based on Yuusuke's appearance, but with Kuwabara's hair colour and programmed him to tell Shuuichi about a randomly selected ritual from five he'd worked out. Youko didn't want to know _exactly_ what was going to happen in the ritual, just to have a general idea, it would be more fun that way, and with that little edge of uncertainty it would be easier to play the 'virgin' sacrifice. He'd even worked out a semi-believable explanation for this based on his created mythology, in that, as the avatar of Kalikos, the god of stasis, and in this case the old season, his virginity was perpetually renewed, in his body, and, in large part, in his mind as well. The priest of Shiveteraso performed a divination ritual involving spilling his seed on a prepared surface to determine which of the rituals to deflower the avatar of Kalikos would be used each time, with a different set of rituals available for each purpose.

Yes, he had spent a lot of time thinking about this, on the basis that if he could pull this off it would do two things, impress his Patron and hopefully give him a set of scenarios within the dreamscape that he was almost certain to enjoy. He'd even prepared notes on everything in the waking world and he'd confirmed with his master, by discrete questions that he could leave the constructs of people in place and they'd still be around next time he entered the dreamscape unless he dismissed them. Speaking of which he needed to start building a population. No need for separate personalities at the moment, not fully developed ones anyway, there'd be time to add that later and he could allow for them to change and grow with time as well, just not yet. Instead Youko prepared half a dozen different forms and began copying them, deliberately imperfect, letting the colouring vary deliberately and other variations slipping in as he copied the populace. They were all human of course, demons didn't go in for the sort of thing this scenario required and they didn't require much in the way of personality, so Youko set them to just wander about and talk among themselves, until they were summoned to the ritual of the rebirth of the land. And then they would gather at the ritual temple and watch in silence showing their respect for this sacred occasion.

And of course if any of them _saw_ the avatar of Shiveteraso they would direct him to his temple, without even thinking about it, since of course he must have been communing with the god, and thus less aware of the mortal aspects of life. He had to build an explanation for the necessities of letting Shuuichi know the part he was supposed to play into the mythology of these people, or if he didn't _have _to, he _wanted_ to, he wanted to be able to show his master what sort of craftsmanship he could muster, and so he'd been planning for this from before he possessed the skills to bring it to fruition. Youko bit his lip in thought when he'd created nearly seventy people for their audience, would it be a good idea to start on their homes, or better to create his own priest and say that all the worshippers travelled here for the ceremony?

Five homes, no, make that eleven, as a community to provide for the priests and avatars, there was already a small living area attached to the ritual temple where the apprentice priests lived, the ones in training to replace the priests of either god, although they were not certain to do so...and he'd forgotten to create the apprentices. He could leave that for later, but there would have to be a small community to support the priests. He'd forgotten children too, and he didn't even have any plans for them either. And...Youko thought he could sense Shuuichi entering the dreamscape. No time for anything more then. He created his own priest, looking more like a white-haired version of Kuwabara than anything else, and his own ceremonial garments, a white kimono and obi before retreating to his temple.

Youko'd never had anyone do this for him, he'd never dared be so vulnerable as to lie on his stomach and let someone massage scented oil into his skin. But the cinnamon oil smelled wonderful as his priest rubbed it into his skin, and used it to prepare him after cleaning him inside - a sensation Youko _was_ familiar with from one of his previous Patrons' fetish - and it _felt_ good too, even if he didn't know how accurate the feeling was. It was incredibly relaxing, the massage, and he almost fell asleep as he was being prepared, oh so slowly. He wasn't sure how much time had passed when his priest began brushing out his hair and dressed him in his kimono and obi, but it didn't matter, and he followed when Shuuichi's priest came to tell him the avatar of Shiveteraso was ready.

Shuuichi looked magnificent, and Youko shivered as his priest led him into the ritual temple, handing him over to the other kitsune. Being watched wasn't actually a kink of his, even though he knew it was one of _Shuuichi's_ more minor kinks, and that made it a bit easier for him to portray a virgin's uncertainty and apprehension.

He dropped to his knees, his wrists still in Shuuichi's grip, waiting for instructions, head bowed and eyes focused on the ground at Shuuichi's feet. Youko's only part in this ritual was to obey, and all of the options started with him on his knees. Shuuichi released his wrists, allowing his arms to fall to his sides and stroked his hair gently before gripping it to pull his head up and back to look at him. This only eliminated one of the five rituals, the one Youko thought he'd enjoy least and Shuuichi would possibly enjoy most, but Youko tried to push what he knew about the rituals out of his mind.

"Undress me." Trembling faintly once Shuuichi let go of him Youko obeyed, untying the obi while still on his knees, folding it carefully in an obvious displacement activity to Shuuichi's amusement. Finally he set the obi aside and started to stand to remove Shuuichi's kimono, only to stumble slightly, and need the other's help. Youko could feel the heat of his blush in his cheeks as he regained his balance and slid Shuuichi's kimono from his shoulders.

"Don't bother folding it. Just let it fall." Youko jumped at that, losing his grip on the kimono, and, as instructed, letting it fall to the ground. Shuuichi lifted him in his arms as that, carrying him bridal style the few steps to the altar in the center of the temple. Youko could see that he appreciated that touch, even if it was _very_ different to the altar Shuuichi had taken him on so often in the dreamscape. Unlike that altar there was no way to tie him over it, and the stone was covered with layers of white altar cloths, white to show the blood as he was taken, and enough layers to make it relatively comfortable to lie on. Youko appreciated that as Shuuichi laid him down on the altar on his back.

Shuuichi stripped Youko quickly, untying the obi, and pushing the kimono from his shoulders, leaving Youko to lie on it and stepped back. Youko shivered in the slightly cold air, fully aware that Shuuichi had been naked for longer than he had and waiting for him make another move.

"Bend your legs and place your feet just over your shoulder width apart my silver rose." Youko knew he was flushing as he obeyed, he prayed that his Patron would be willing to use this endearment for him again and often, having a pet name like that...

Shuuichi sat beside him on the altar, leaning down to kiss Youko as he slid one finger inside him, and the shock threw all other thoughts from his mind. He hadn't put kisses into _any_ of the rituals he'd planned, and for his master to offer him this spontaneously affectionate gesture as well as a pet name...

His Patron kept on kissing him too, kissing him and nibbling at his neck and shoulders while preparing him as his free hand wandered over Youko's torso, touching him lightly where Youko was sensitive, and more firmly where he needed that, occasionally tweaking a nipple. By the time Shuuichi was finished preparing him Youko was wriggling on the altar and aching to be filled, lifting his hips in invitation. He'd never thought that his master had paid that much attention to how he reacted and responded to touch, none of his other Patrons had.

"What do you want my silver rose?" Shuuichi's voice was a husky whisper that sent shivers through his spine.

"Please, take me." He couldn't think coherently enough to say everything he should have said, about how none of this was in the script...well, the foreplay had been, Youko craved that and the illusion of affection from his master, if not love. But Youko wasn't supposed to say anything, he was supposed to be a passive vessel for Shuuichi's pleasure, not required to respond to him.

Shuuichi knelt between his legs, lifting them to hook Youko's knees over his shoulders, and entering Youko with a single thrust powerful enough to slide him nearly half a foot back along the altar. Youko _yelped_ in surprise, but not in pain, not yet, and Shuuichi _stopped_, asking if he was okay.

"Just fuck me unconscious!" Youko's answer was hissed from between his clenched teeth, he _knew_ that Shuuichi's priest had 'reminded' the avatar of Shiveteraso that he had to make the avatar of Kalikos pass out as he deflowered him. But he seemed to have forgotten that as he paused to pull Youko's kimono from beneath him and toss it to the floor before taking him with redoubled energy. Youko knew that his Patron was more than capable of that, and fucking him senseless was probably the most effective demonstration of pure dominance Shuuichi could use without actually _hurting_ Youko.

Shuuichi cheated after Youko came the first time, putting one hand on his hip and the other on his shoulder, one thumb resting on his throat, and pressing in just enough to restrict his breathing. Youko couldn't really blame him, it had to be getting difficult for him to stay hard. Even so, it wasn't what Youko'd expected, but he came hard enough to pass out much more quickly than he'd expected.


	11. Chapter 11

Youko wasn't sure that Shuuichi would be coming for a visit tonight, he sometimes didn't, and he _did_ have Youko pass on the instruction for Asuka to start to teach him how to shapeshift which could mean he wouldn't be wanting lessons himself. But still, he could hope, and Youko had an Ikebana he'd made for Shiori-sama at his lesson today, he could send it with Shuuichi tomorrow, or take it to Shiori-sama himself on Friday of course and it was easy enough for him to keep the flowers at their peak until then, but he'd rather she received it as soon as possible. And if she got it today she could find out what the meaning was herself before he visited on Friday, and that would give them a topic of conversation if she wanted it. The gossip sessions Youko had with Shiori when he visited her were nice sometimes, even if they did remind him how weak he was and fit disturbingly well into the ningen version of femininity, but he'd revealed more of what he really was to her than he was comfortable with on Monday, and he wanted to find something else to distract her with. He didn't expect the distraction to last forever, she _hungered_ to know all the secrets her son had kept from her, he just hoped it would last long enough for him to feel comfortable talking about things ningen weren't supposed to know. And perhaps for his Patron to get some sort of official permission for these revelations, or at least confirm that he approved of them.

"Youko, would you like me to start your lessons in shapeshifting now, or do you want to focus on the weaknesses you see in your illusions?" By phrasing it that way Asuka didn't really give him any choice, but she also complimented him on his skills and Youko smiled up at her as he responded without commenting on her skills of manipulation.

"Let's work here then, in case our lord and master chooses to pay a visit." It was a very subtle put-down, he didn't think she'd dare take offence at it, even though the faint tightening at her eyes told him she recognised it, and she didn't challenge him on it.

"As you wish. The first and most important aspect of shapeshifting lies in being able to visualise the form you wish to take. There are limitations of course, you cannot change your colouring for instance, but you can change in other ways as long as you're going to a humanoid shape."

"So, I need to focus on the anatomical differences between my 'natural' form and the form I'm trying to shift into?" That made him think of how he'd learned to take human form. "I guess I need to imagine how it would feel from the inside, right?"

"Yes, but you need to be able to do it on the fly, to shapeshift into a humanoid form you've never seen before to have mastered the technique. I have a collection of pictures for Shuuichi-sama's 'final exam', he helped me get them." Youko hadn't known about that, he'd just dismissed it when they disappeared together as shapeshifting lessons. And it was he supposed, but now he wondered if he should feel threatened, he _didn't_, not quite, but it was something he hadn't realised had happened and that shook him a bit. "Or at least he got Yuusuke-san to take me to the Makai under his protection to take these pictures. We went to a bar and Shuuichi-sama gave me a purse to pay for models if I needed to. Genkai-shihan said it would be a useful learning experience for him." No, he didn't have any reason at all to feel threatened then. And this discussion was proving to be unexpectedly interesting.

"Didn't Yuusuke protest? He normally does, even when it's to save the ningenkai."

"Genkai-shihan insisted, and Shuuichi-sama offered to let him borrow me for a night if he was interested. He hasn't collected yet, so I'm not sure if he wants me or not."

"Well, he does love Keiko, even though he doesn't always show it very well. Perhaps he doesn't want to be unfaithful to her." Youko shrugged, it was a very human attitude, and something he didn't understand, especially since Keiko wasn't putting out as far as he knew. From her blank look Asuka didn't understand either, but she gave an accepting shrug.

"I don't know if I should hope for him to collect on our Patron's debt or not. I mean if he doesn't isn't he saying I'm not appealing to him?"

"Maybe, or he could just be saying he's saving his virginity for the woman he loves. It's a human thing. And do you want to be with him? I never liked it when my previous Patrons did things like that, traded me away that way." It was Youko's duty to reassure her and make her feel better about herself after all - at least as long as it didn't threaten his position with their master.

"Thank you for telling me that. We should focus on what you need to learn to shapeshift. What sort of humanoid demon do you want to try first? Think of the type you're most familiar with, or remember best and we can start with that."

"I...let me think about that." Youko was _not_ going to use one of his old Patrons as a model, not even with all the intimate knowledge he had of them. _Shuuichi_ might have been able to, but he couldn't. "Give me a day to make my decision, I'll tell you by Friday evening at the latest."

"As you wish. Shuuichi-sama knew which form he wanted to start with immediately, but if you need time to think I can understand."

"By the way, what would you normally do when you got a new tail and more power? I mean you know this all on a theoretical level, not on the practical level." Youko was sure that whatever a kitsune with a clan would do it was very different from how he'd celebrated getting a new tail - by planning a new, challenging theft. It had never occurred to him to try to find out about his improved powers, he'd been content with keeping up a reputation and staying safe.

"We get all the theoretical training when we've still only got one tail. We aren't allowed to leave the clan holdings until our second tail, and with each tail we usually return to the clan holdings for safety while we master our new abilities on a practical level." She turned and walked away from him then, he'd upset her somehow.

Youko'd been focused on working out who to try to emulate for his first effort in shapeshifting instead of on waiting for their Patron to arrive when Shuuichi did walk through the door of the apartment, carrying three wrapped parcels.

"Here." Shuuichi handed one parcel over to Youko and continued speaking as he unwrapped it while Asuka came back into the main room. "It will take a bit longer to get the standing goban you asked for delivered." There was also a new pad of kifu papers with the simple folding goban.

"Thank you Shuuichi-sama." Youko kept his eyes cast down, focused on his reward, blushing faintly, but he looked up when Shuuichi handed the first of the other two parcels over to Asuka.

"This one's for teaching Youko illusions. The other's an early reward for teaching me shapeshifting."

"Thank you Shuuichi-sama." The gratitude in Asuka's voice, even after the gifts their master had already given her, was a little bit disturbing. This first gift was a silver belt a bit like the one he'd got on Sunday, except that it was set with amethysts instead of black pearls and he'd wrapped some silver hair combs and pins set with amethysts in as well. The second gift was a simple tanto, simple, but exquisitely made and obviously well balanced. It was probably worth more than the jewellery was, or even the goban Shuuichi was having delivered, but there was a vague air of disappointment in Asuka's reaction to it.

"Didn't you use knives before?" Youko didn't need to specify before what, but that was enough to make her look at the tanto in a new light - she'd obviously been thinking of how concubines were supposed to act.

"I carried a couple, as a last resort more than anything else. I wasn't very good with them." She blushed faintly, but Youko didn't see any reason for that. _He_ wasn't really that good with most weapons, he could just barely use a sword well enough that he wasn't more a threat to himself than anything else, but he was best with a whip, and very good with that.

'I think she might be ashamed that she didn't use one to kill herself before allowing herself to be enslaved, or ashamed of her showing when she was enslaved.' That wasn't really rational, but it would explain her embarrassment. Youko decided to change the subject and he picked up his Ikebana.

"Shuuichi-sama, when you leave could you take this with you and give it to Shiori-sama from me?"

"Sure, just remember to remind me before I leave. What does it mean?" Asuka took the chance to retreat back to her bedroom; Youko didn't know what she _did_ in there, but then it didn't really matter to him.

"It means 'Thank you for your kindness', and it implies a familial relationship. I apologise if I presumed." Youko put the Ikebana down, avoiding Shuuichi's eyes.

"You didn't. Not really. I know we haven't added you to the family register, but as my concubine you're part of my household now, and Kaasan does see you almost as a daughter." And Shiori-sama was _the_ most important thing in the world to Shuuichi. "I'm actually thinking about asking her to add you and Asuka to the family register before Hatanabe-san adds her to his. It would mean more to me that way." And to Youko too, it would mean that she'd accepted him as a part of Shuuichi's life and accepted Shuuichi's nature and desire for a rather unconventional domestic arrangement by modern standards. "I wanted to ask you a few questions about the scenario you came up with last night, come." Youko smiled at that, at the implication that he'd impressed Shuuichi, and followed his Patron into his bedroom. He hesitated when Shuuichi sat on his futon, but joined him when his master nodded for him to.

"What did you wish to know Shuuichi-sama?"

"How much detail did you go into? I got the impression that even though the people all looked different, albeit a bit like there were just six different families, three all men and three all women, but they didn't seem to have much in the way of personality."

"I'll correct for that by gender flipped versions then when I add the children...that is if you'd be interested in using more scenarios based in that 'community'. I just copied six basic shapes, letting enough imperfections slip in to make them individual. But you're right, I didn't bother giving them much in the way of personality, just enough to act as an appreciative audience for you. I didn't have time to do more." Youko shrugged, waiting to hear Shuuichi's assessment of what he'd done.

"That...isn't how I'd have done it, but it was creative and well-executed. Congratulations. Would that setting work for other scenarios, or is it just that one?"

"There are other scenarios that apply to that setting. I haven't worked them all out, except that I'm a virgin in all of them and they're all religious ceremonies. I have plans to improve on the setting if you want me to, for instance I think I can set the people up so that they acquire personalities over time in the dreamscape and I need to build more homes and such there."

"Why always virgin?" There was a note of disappointment in Shuuichi's voice, as well as curiosity. "And are you dominant in any of these rituals?"

"It fitted the mythology I came up with. I went for the simplicity of a two god set-up, one of change and one of stasis." Youko shrugged, it had made more sense to have one avatar with perpetually renewing virginity than a new avatar chosen to be virgin every year. "And yes, I dominate in precisely one ritual, the mirror of the ritual we dreamed of last night."

"The beginning of autumn instead of spring?" He sounded a bit puzzled, then he seemed to work out why. "To try and make the autumn mild and the winter short?"

"Yes Shuuichi-sama. With everything else the aim is for things to change, hopefully for the better, but then everyone wants things to stay the same as much as possible."

"Hmm. Work on building that setting up until you think it's complete, would you like a tanto like Asuka's as a reward for that?"

"I was a little jealous of her when I saw it actually. Did that show so much?"

"No. Kiss me now my silver rose." Youko drew in a hissing breath in pleasure when he heard the endearment, and obeyed enthusiastically.

Youko was wearing his black yukata with the silver foxes embroidered on it for his visit to Shiori-sama today. Shuuichi-sama didn't often decide to use his right to dictate what Youko wore, but Youko knew better than to assume that leniency would mean his Patron wouldn't punish him for disobeying. Still, he wore the black obi with it, instead of the dark red one they'd originally chosen, and he left the red polish on his fingernails chipped and untended in a subtle act of defiance. They'd grown long enough to look feminine anyway he had to admit, but this once he didn't want to bother with going to the trouble of removing the polish and selecting an appropriately subdued colour. Besides, _Shuuichi_ liked it when his nails were painted red, even when it was chipped and worn away at the ends, because it looked like blood; Shiori-sama simply didn't think anything too blatant was ladylike. He'd gotten into the habit of wearing make-up - at least lip gloss and a smear of neutral eyeshadow - every time he went out, even on the rare occasions when it was as a male, but now he made it a bit less subtle than usual, including a deep wine lipstick and dark grey eyeshadow. Shuuichi had jokingly complained once about how subtle his make-up usually was, although he'd been understanding about Youko's desire to please Shiori-sama and he'd never ordered Youko to wear more obvious make-up. He'd also made it clear how much he enjoyed letting Youko's hair out so Youko put it up fully, with pins and combs, something he hadn't used in his dream scenario, allowing his own preference for leaving his hair loose to influence the design of Kalikos. (Of course he could justify his decision if Shuuichi asked him, but it hadn't been necessary so far.)

Shiori-sama hadn't said anything about what Youko was wearing, although she'd seemed a little disappointed by it, instead she'd gone straight into another lesson in the tea ceremony. This time it was a review of the variations they'd done so far instead of a new ceremony, followed by a discussion on how to set the right tone for the ceremony.

"I'd like to give you a test next time you come. I want you to set up and perform the tea ceremony I tell you then without any guidance from me. Will that be a problem for you?"

"Of course not. If you wish to test me it is your right." That seemed to bother her for some reason, Youko couldn't tell _why_ though, but he still wanted to make her feel better. "I expected that you would wish to test me since we were just reviewing earlier work today."

She smiled at that, and changed the subject. "Ah, I see. Well, I know you are very talented with Ikebana, the arrangement you sent with Shuuichi shows that. All I could interpret was that you were saying thank you for something?"

"Yes, for all the kindness you have shown me Shiori-sama. And I presumed to imply a familial relationship. Did I offend you?"

"No." Shiori-sama laughed at the idea. "And besides, my son has asked me to add you to the family register." What was Youko supposed to say to that?

"H-he told me he was going to ask, two days ago." Youko blushed, keeping his eyes cast down, he hoped that he hadn't been admitting to anything wrong on Shuuichi's part by telling Shiori-sama that. She laughed at him, but Youko knew it wasn't malicious, that simply wasn't in her nature.

"Of course he'd ask how you feel about being added to the family register before asking me to add you. He wouldn't make the arrangements without consulting you, only your parents would have that right, and even then arranged marriages are pretty rare nowadays."

She just didn't understand. Youko didn't have _any_ choice in the matter, it was up to Shuuichi whether or not he was to be considered part of his family, he didn't even really _want_ a choice. But if it made Shiori-sama happier to think he'd been given the option of refusing then so be it. Still, she'd only mentioned him, did that mean Shuuichi hadn't asked to have Asuka added to the family register?

"Forgive my ignorance please Shiori-sama, but would my name change if you granted Shuuichi-sama's request?" He was sure he should know that answer to that question without asking, but he just couldn't remember, and he thought it might please Shiori-sama if he asked her.

"Call me Kaasan. I am going to add you to the family register. And we can do it two ways, either keeping Youko as a second personal name or replacing your clan name with ours totally. What would you rather?"

"Whatever Shuuichi-sama wishes." Even if Youko was the only connection he had left to his clan...he knew it wasn't exactly a feminine name by Japanese standards. And Akari was the name Shiori-sama had given him. But she looked a bit disconcerted by that, and changed the subject for some reason. He didn't understand it, but he was happy enough to explain what each of the flowers in her Ikebana meant and why they were all arranged together as they were.

Shiori wasn't entirely certain _why_ Akari was so embarrassed about the fact that her son had asked her how she felt about being added to the Minamino family register before he asked Shiori to consider it, but she suspected it had something to do with the strange answer she got when she asked Akari about replacing her clan name. She changed the subject to something the girl would be more comfortable talking about, and something Shiori could praise without seeming ignorant, her Ikebana. Shiori didn't know much about it, not more than the most cursory overview, but she understood what Akari was trying to explain to her, especially when she got the arrangement and pointed out specific things of importance. But Akari seemed to be a little lost when Shiori mentioned something she only knew about in general terms, either because it was an old meaning, something Shiori's mother had taught _her_ or because she just hadn't got that far in her course.

Reluctantly Shiori had to admit that Akari seemed more natural and comfortable in her yukata than she had in the Western clothing Shiori favoured herself. Ruefully she had to acknowledge that she was doing the same thing to Akari her mother had done to her as a child; forcing her to dress the way Shiori felt comfortable, rather than to her own tastes. And truthfully the tea ceremony _did_ look better performed by a woman in traditional dress.

"By the way, your yukata is beautiful, and you're obviously skilled at how to place your obi. Do you have true kimono at all?"

"Yes. Three informal kimono, one each in black, dark blue and white, and two more formal kimono, in different degrees of formality." She let her eyes drop and blushed faintly as she continued. "Thank you for the compliment on my skill, but Shuuichi-sama is the one who chose my yukata."

"Ah." Shiori wasn't sure what else to say to that. "Then wear a yukata on Monday, and an informal kimono next Friday if you would."

"As you wish Kaasan. Is there any particular colour you wish me to wear?" Why would that be up to her? She wanted Akari to perform an engagement tea ceremony for her son, but she was used to Shuuichi not really caring that much about what he wore - after all, he usually dressed in his school uniform, even when he wasn't at school.

"No, whatever you're most comfortable with...although...perhaps not the white." White was mourning, after all. Shiori knew she was manipulating Akari just a little bit, but she didn't care. "Am I likely to get grandchildren from you?" she only realised just how thoroughly she'd managed to repress her knowledge of Ak-_Youko's_ true gender when she saw the girl's startlement, and even then she couldn't see her as male.

"Not human grandchildren. And probably not in your lifespan, not from me. If I ever attain a sixth tail I'll be able to carry Shuuichi-sama's kits, but they'll be born in fox form, we don't get a human form until we get our third tail, and I was over eight hundred years old before I gained my third tail. Even our humanoid forms aren't accessible until we hit puberty."

"Oh!" Shiori couldn't help but be disappointed by that. She'd _wanted_ grandchildren, but it seemed she'd have to settle for gaining a daughter...and knowing that her son would live for a very long time. But they'd implied it would be possible for Shuuichi to have another lover without anyone in their relationship objecting. "What about if he had children with a human woman? Or a different type of demon?"

"I...a human woman might be able to give Shuuichi-sama children who looked human from birth, but...they'd probably be pretty weak, I don't think he'd like that, they'd be too much of a vulnerability for him." The way Shiori knew she was herself, even if Akari didn't say that. "And the Reikai authorities frown on powerful demons, more than C-class superior at the very highest, reproducing with humans. It gives rise to problems when it comes to sorting the dead you see. For another demon..." Akari shrugged gracefully. "The problem is that powerful demons only look even slightly human later in life, most of them anyway. And the weaker ones never really look human at all, although even if they did there'd be the same problem of producing weak offspring. We don't have a clan stronghold where we could raise kits you see."

"And until you do you won't be able to risk having children? Won't you be safe here, or can't you find somewhere safe in this world?"

"It isn't my decision. But I doubt it, not with so few of us. Really it takes at least ten kitsune to make up a large enough clan to safely raise kits."

"Ten?" Shiori found it hard to believe that kitsune needed that many adults to raise a few kits.

"Well...ten to hold and disguise a large enough territory that we don't need an adult to be constantly with the kits." Akari shrugged as she spoke. "I suppose it might be possibly for a pair of kitsune to raise one litter, but three or four would be better if we wanted to risk raising kits without a clan." She frowned as she spoke. "I suppose we would have to take that risk if Shuuichi-sama chose to create a new clan. I do know that all clans started that way." she shook her head then, looking at the clock. "Should we start preparing a meal for when Shuuichi-sama returns?"

"Not yet. I want to hear more about how a kitsune clan works."

Youko wore leather pants and a leather vest over a grey cotton shirt for his training with Genkai-shihan and the rest of the Tantei. Shuuichi hadn't been upset that he'd answered Shiori-sama's questions about kitsune clans, or told her what little he remembered, but he hadn't answered the question their conversation had brought up for Youko. Was his Patron intending to start a clan of his own, or ask to join a clan to have protection for his kits? It wasn't something Youko'd ever thought about, or ever dared consider after seeing his own clan slaughtered, but...

It didn't matter. Youko turned his attention to Genkai-shihan, since they all trained together she was the one to decide on how they trained, even if Shuuichi decided when he was allowed to go and play in the forest. And she'd implied she had something special planned for them all.

"What are we doing today Old Hag?" Yuusuke must have caught that implication too then.

"Teamwork, tracking and evasion. The foxes are working together to avoid being caught, and the rest of you need to catch them. You can have half an hour to plan, then the foxes get half an hour head start to hide in the forest. You'll have four and a half hours after that to catch them. The foxes win if they all get back here five hours after they've set off...but you have to spend all five hours in the forest, the tracking team win if they can catch all the foxes in the four and a half hours."

"And it's a draw if some of us avoid you and some of us get captured." Youko was sure his Patron hadn't needed to say that out loud, but he wasn't going to be saying anything that might show any doubt in his judgement.

"Precisely. Start planning." For a moment Youko thought Hiei was going to protest, but Yuusuke dragged him and Kuwabara away to plan.

'Youko, can you set up three illusions with what looks like suppressed versions of our ki and send them out independently?'

'Yes, but I haven't tested how long they will last without my being near enough to feed ki to them constantly. And I'm not sure how complicated the instructions I can give them can be.' Youko knew that was a weakness, in is knowledge of his abilities for certain, and perhaps in his abilities himself, but he hadn't had a chance to test it.

'I've never heard of anyone giving illusions any sort of instructions for operating out of line of sight, or where the actions can be clearly envisaged.' Asuka was supporting him, and encouraging him despite his inadequacies. But she could have a point, _he_ wouldn't have considered doing something like that, except for the experiences he'd had with Shuuichi in the dreamscape.

'Set them to just run through the forest. Asuka, you can suppress your ki well enough to pass for a normal fox, can't you?'

'Yes. That's something we learn before we can shift to our half-fox form.'

'Good. I want you to do that and to _hide_ for the full five hours before you make your way back here, looking like a normal fox for as long as you can. Youko, I'll create a set of nine illusions in potentia, they'll activate when one of our opponents gets to within ten metres of your illusions. Your illusions should be ordered to just run, in some sort of pattern, acting as a diversion. You can have them stick together or split up as you wish.'

'It would be easier to have them stick together.'

'And that would make them think we were determined to have a decisive outcome...either win or lose, not try for a draw in case we can't win. Either way if you can I want you to set them to dissipate either when they're brought to the temple or after six hours.' That wasn't a problem, well the time limit wasn't, although setting them to dissipate on getting back to the temple might be, and Youko was aware that _he_ couldn't have done what Shuuichi was planning on doing with his own illusions. 'Will you be aware of when they dissipate?'

'I'm not sure. I think that if I wanted to do that I'd have to keep some sort of link to them, and that would let Hiei track me from them.'

'Good point. Then don't try to keep track of them, but if you have the energy to spare for it create a second set about half way through the game.' And send them off again, that went without saying. 'Otherwise just run and hole up at some point if you can. But break your scent by travelling through the treetops and up a stream for a while.' That was simple practicality, and Youko was surprised their Patron bothered to explain it to them, but then...Asuka had been enslaved, and she'd spent at _least_ the past six years in a brothel. Her skills in hiding her trail couldn't have been too good to start off with if she was captured, and they had to have degraded even further during her time as a whore. 'Asuka, can you manage that?'

'Yes Shuuichi-sama, I should be able to find a stream to break my scent. And If I go into the stream in this form and emerge in fox form...' Perhaps Genkai-shihan had improved her skills then, or she'd been better than Youko expected and not lost as much skill as he'd thought.

'Hiding one of your tails, yes. Are there any normal foxes who live in the area?' For decoys, of course. Youko had to think a moment about how to convey the information about where they denned, eventually coming up with the idea of visualising the place the way he would a dreamscape and adding a rough mental map.

'Yes, they den _here_.' He sent the images he'd come up with as he answered his Patron.

'Good. I'll aim for that area, and tie illusions of us to the foxes. If you come across one you-'

"Planning time's up. Start running evasion team." Youko glanced at Genkai-shihan, then followed Shuuichi as he ran towards the forest. They came to a halt for him to create the illusions and for Shuuichi to do whatever it was that he was doing to add his own illusions. Then they split up, Youko and Shuuichi taking to the trees and Asuka remaining on the ground, but it occurred to Youko that the others wouldn't know the forest as well as he did.

'Here, Asuka, Shuuichi-sama, this is where the streams are.' He used the same rough map of the forest he'd created to show where the foxes den was, but drawing attention to the streams instead, particularly the one on the way to the foxes den for Shuuichi-sama.

'Thank you Youko.'

'Well thought my silver rose.' Their responses came simultaneously, and Youko just focused on getting to his own chosen stream.


	12. Chapter 12

Asuka wasn't too certain where the nearest stream was, but she vaguely remembered passing one during her single excursion into the forest, during the game she played with Youko, and so started running in the direction she thought she could find it.

'Here, Asuka, Shuuichi-sama, this is where the streams are.' Youko's mental sketch map showing where the streams were told Asuka that she'd been going in entirely the wrong direction and hit her hard enough that she fell to her knees. But she could muster the will to show proper courtesy to her superior in their Patron's harem.

'Thank you Youko.' And she turned to make her way to the nearest stream instead, climbing into the trees when she could without leaving obvious markings, and envying the other two for their ability to manipulate plants to do this without leaving _any_ sign.

When she reached the first stream she was still in the treetops, and she crawled out along a large branch that hung over the stream, jumping down into the stream as soon as it started to creak. Upstream, or down? There were more rocks upstream, and she could see that there was a wide, shallow rock shelf just in her line of vision upstream, whereas downstream the banks were all of mud, and bound to show her tracks. Upstream it was then. She shifted into fox form as she made her way against the current, calling on the infra spectrum of the light to dry the water from her fur and from where she'd let it drip onto the rock shelf. A quick illusion to hide her second tail...and only then did she remember to suppress her ki, praying that she hadn't left it too late. She didn't want to be the reason they lost, or only drew, it would give Youko a chance to mock her, even if he'd never taken such chances before. Her mouth lolled open in a vulpine grin and she tried something different, altering the light that reflected from her to make it seem as if she was mostly a brownish red, with some redder markings at the end of her visible tail and at two paws, a paler underbelly and a black mask around her eyes, muzzle and more black at one paw.

She hesitated at the edge of the rock shelf, glancing around to see if there was any way to get off it without leaving tracks, but eventually she concluded trying to get to the top of the trees would leave too much of a sign. And foxes didn't normally jump among the tree tops, not normal foxes anyway. The best she could do was pick her way over the other rocks near the stream, until she couldn't any longer and had to run where she'd leave a trail. Shuuichi had told her to hide, but she'd feel far too vulnerable cowering in a den somewhere...and the bastards who'd enslaved her had taken her from her temporary den as well. She didn't like the idea of disobeying any four-tail, let alone the one who owned her, but...she could argue that she was hiding by looking and acting exactly like a normal fox would, couldn't she?

That still meant being cautious, foxes were _not_ the top predator in any ecosystem, so she began making her way through the forest, taking all the cover she could. She got hungry after a while, she wasn't sure how long, but she started to hunt, catching a few mice and eating them raw. It wasn't as if she'd never eaten her meat raw before, and it would certainly be suspicious if she cooked them.

She'd just caught one mouse when Hiei ran past her, she froze, in near-instinctive fear, the way any animal would at something that moved so fast. She wasn't sure, but she thought he might have actually _looked_ at her, and brushed her off as a mere animal. But...there'd been something about his attitude that said he was having some sort of problem, so she began searching for a spot she could take humanoid form to check the time without leaving dangerous trails.

It took her a while, but she found a rock large enough to perch on in both forms, and there wasn't anyone close enough to spot her. Still, she wove an illusion to hide herself totally before she risked shifting to humanoid form and taking a quick look at her watch. She still had just under half an hour to go. If she made a point of making her way back to the temple _cautiously_...as long as she stayed in the forest for the full five hours. She was a bit lost too, but she was pretty sure what direction she needed to go in, so she started moving, keeping to the cover. Her artificial colouring was a lot better for hiding than the black was at least, she'd chosen it for how common it was, but the most common colouring gave the best camouflage after all.

She had enough time sense to know when half an hour had passed even if she did lose track when she was doing something like hunting, where you had to lack awareness of how time was passing to do well. She wasn't quite to the forest's edge when time was up, but she still wasn't going to risk being spotted, so she took the extra time to get back to the temple without being noticed, relying on a straight run once she got out of the forest.

She was still the first of the evaders to get back, although Yuusuke, Kuwabara and Hiei were there Shuuichi and Youko were _not_. Asuka decided to wait in fox form, so that she could show her master what she'd learned to do, but she stopped trying to suppress her ki and wondered absently if Hiei would recognise her. Apparently not. It didn't matter, but the humans seemed surprised by her appearance, Yuusuke even thought she was a normal fox it seemed.

Youko knew that time was up, but he'd been hunting a bit, and he'd had one of his plants store the meat, so first he had to recover it. Then he could just get back to the temple...he didn't _need_ to hide now, the others couldn't win or force a draw by taking him to the temple after their time limit had passed.

He was the last one there, but he presented the three rabbits he'd caught to Yukina first, before turning his attention to his master, Genkai-shihan and the others. Even if Asuka looked weird with her illusion of being a mostly brown normal fox - did that mean she'd gained her third tail in today's exercise?

"Asuka, drop the illusion and take your humanoid form." Youko's drew a hissing breath of surprise when he saw Asuka momentarily take the two tailed fox form she'd always possessed before returning to humanoid form. "That was an impressive trick. How did you do it?"

"I...you know that my element's light. I've been studying the scientific basis as well as what Genkai-shihan has been teaching me in how to use it." Asuka's eyes were cast down, and she glanced at Genkai-shihan as she spoke, almost looking for approval. "As she recommended. And I've learned how to shift the wavelength a bit, enough to change something's colour, without using true illusion." A way of working around her limitations, when Youko hadn't even thought of using the illusion he was supposed to have mastered, because it was such a new skill, yet Asuka's skills with light were equally new. 'Hiei actually looked at me and dismissed me because of my disguise.'

"Well done. Did you end up chasing many of our decoys?"

"The Dimwit brought one back here, then it disappeared. The one of you." Genkai-shihan laughed at that. Youko couldn't blame her, he'd set the illusions to seem to explode and leave gobbets of meat all around just before they dissipated, it had to have been funny.

"Hey, what was I supposed to think? When we caught up to the illusions another nine illusions appeared and they split up. Kuwabara and Hiei were fooled too."

"But I know you'd split up by the last half hour Yuusuke-san." They looked surprised at that, but only Hiei came to the obvious conclusion.

"Who did you see?"

"You actually." And that was enough to set the humans laughing. "A good disguise, especially since I was _acting_ like a normal fox."

"If I'd used my Jagan..."

"You'd have been able to see through how we suppressed our ki, yes. I decided it was best to gamble that you wouldn't be using your Jagan much, and that when you were our ki would be shielded by the ki of everything around us. Also, I knew that it takes a fair bit of your focus to use the Jagan, as well as power that you might not have wanted to expend when you were facing two plant manipulators in a forest of dangerous plants. Do you know what Asuka was doing when you passed her?" Youko watched how the fire demon responded to his Patron's veiled criticism, surprisingly well really, he seemed to note it for future use and consider the question carefully.

"No. If I saw her then I dismissed it and filtered it out of my memory."

"Kuwabara saw through the illusion I was using to hide my extra tails when I was hunting." Youko had only thought of even doing that because his Patron had suggested it for Asuka. "I suppose my colouring must have been a give away, but he followed the illusion of myself that I created as a decoy." He was speaking a bit out of turn, but it would distract from Hiei's embarrassment at not noticing Asuka.

"What did you do to make the illusion seem more tempting than you were?" Genkai-shihan was willing enough to focus on what techniques he'd used rather than what Hiei had missed and Shuuichi looked interested as well.

"I used a rain of rose petals to block his physical sight, and used one illusion to hide myself in a hollow. I also created two illusions of myself in fox form without ki signatures to act as distractions, and set them running along the ground. The final illusion was of my humanoid form, with a simulation of my ki signature and I had that retreat through the trees, using my powers to aid the retreat."

"An imaginative way of distracting attention from your real location, but still, Asuka did better, as she couldn't be recognised at all, and I'm a bit disappointed you didn't think of doing the same as she did." Youko preened under the slight praise from his master, and noted that Asuka was doing the same thing, even as he pressed his ears back against his skull at the subsequent criticism. "On the other hand I'm the only one who didn't even see one of our opponents, so I don't know how well my disguise would have worked."

"So you didn't actually find any of the foxes, Dimwit."

"We split up after we _thought_ I'd got Kurama. You saw me bring him back, then I went looking for them again. I don't have the sort of senses those two have, you know that."

"Then you shouldn't have split up, or you should have met back up with one of them." Yuusuke couldn't argue with Genkai-shihan's critique, and she had something equally relevant to say to everyone who'd been playing. And she had a suggestion for what they should each practice, from her advice for Hiei to try to gain more skill in using his Jagan on the move to her detailed plan to improve Yuusuke's senses.

"Have you managed to create those other people you promised me for this community?" Youko hadn't expected his master to bring him here when he fell asleep, they hadn't been using the dreamscape much recently after all.

"No, not yet. And there's other things I need to do." He'd put them in stasis, instead of allowing them to 'develop' without him, because it was so incomplete.

"Hmm. What do you need that I can provide?" He'd expected that _he_ would be the only one responsible for creating this little area of the dreamscape, so for Shuuichi to offer his expertise in making this world...

"I've already created most of the buildings for this community, but we need some farms spread out throughout the forest, farms and other dwellings. Can you do that as you feel appropriate please?" He'd made the houses and temples, but he needed to add a blacksmith's, a few small shops of some sort and an inn, however small, as well as possibly a warehouse.

"Should I try to have them fit in with the style of building here?" Looking around Youko realised that he'd built the houses here in the same style as the temples, a result of unconscious influence.

"Please, if you could." Youko frowned, it would be easier to age some of the already existing 'people' to get a more realistic demographic than to create more older people, but it _wouldn't_ be easier to change the gender of half than to create a new set of six 'originals' and make another hundred or so copies. "Including the houses here we need to be able to home around three hundred people close enough to come for the rituals...so within half a days travel, however you think fit."

"If you're creating additional buildings here then you need to remember to add a stable then...big enough for say thirty horses and five wagons."

"Yes Shuuichi-sama." Youko thought it might need more room than that, he'd focused on the religion and not paid as much attention in designing the community itself, but then it didn't need to be that realistic and he could adjust it at any time he needed to. He didn't expect his master to kiss him before going off to create the scattered part of the community.

Then he lost himself in creating the new people he needed, and adjusting the ones already formed, until he'd produced a set of six interrelated 'clans' with smaller family groupings set up inside each clan and apprentice (and full) priests drawn from each clan. The priesthood would need some form of support other than tithing, so he added a school to the temple compound as well as a few beehives, a small, no, a mid-sized distillery and a herb garden, one focused on medicinal herbs, indicating that the priests were also the healers as well as the teachers.

Businesses now...he could attach the stable to the temple, something else for the priests to do, since they couldn't _all_ be attendants to the avatars. And besides since it was a religious ritual that had people gathering all on the same day, not that _that_ was unusual in early societies...

But the inn should have a stable attached as well, albeit a smaller stable. How big should he make the inn though? Three stories, no two would do plus an attic. The ground floor would need an office, a large common room/bar...with a way to get down to the basement storage and get wine and beer up as well, and a kitchen of course. Adding a bathroom and internal toilet would be easiest on the ground floor, and it would be desirable. About ten separate rooms on the upper floor, then fifteen in the attic, for the workers, or cheaper rooms if needed, and of course people would be allowed to sleep in the common room if they couldn't even afford one of those rooms. It wouldn't be a problem, having a room, even having a _bed_ to yourself when you slept was a luxury not that long ago. Youko'd never been high enough ranked to have his own room when he'd been kept in a harem, but he'd gotten used to that luxury after he made a name for himself as a thief.

The community didn't need a warehouse, there were already cellars large enough for people to store what they needed in each house, but he did build a small storehouse attached to the single village store adding living quarters over the store. Finally he had the smith's to do, he'd always have work available, shoeing horses if nothing else, and making or mending plows and such. Iron mining would be external to the culture since Youko didn't know what was involved in mining iron too clearly. He wasn't really that clear on smithing either, but he could give the smith what little he did know and set up an accelerated trial and error system to make him into a real smith. For that matter he could do that now - or at least once he'd set up the naming parameters for this culture and created a 'program' within the dream assigned everyone names within those parameters.

Simple...Two or three syllables as forenames, stick to the syllables indicated by hiragana or katakana, but eliminate certain combinations and require one or two other combinations...select three or four endings that always indicate male personal names, another three or four that always indicate female and two that can be either. Select six clan names...add the option of familial names within the clan? No that wasn't necessary, but set a prohibition against recycling a personal name inside the clan. He'd just finished designing the naming program when Shuuichi returned.

"I _might_ have gone a little overboard in creating those farms you asked for my silver rose."

"How many people do you need in total then? I can always create more, but I'd rather name them all at once. I've just finished designing a program that should do that for me you see."

"I'm not entirely sure. Will the program keep if we leave this as it is?"

"Oh, yes, of course."

"Good, you can finish it off later. I want to talk to you now." That was enough to terrify Youko, it usually meant he was in trouble. "Don't look so worried. I'm not angry at you." Shuuichi laughed at Youko's reaction, but the reassurance was all that mattered. "Kaasan wants me to talk to you about how you're going to be added to our family register. Which option would you prefer? No matter what you'll be recorded with Akari as your personal name, but do you want to keep the Youko clan name as well as mine?"

"Please, yes. It's the only connection I still have to them..." Youko hadn't expected the raw pain that came out in that confession, or the way his Patron gathered him into his arms.

"Then tell Kaasan that tomorrow. She doesn't want to hear it from me." Then Shuuichi kissed him, ever so gently and moved them to another setting, a large, soft bed filled with cushions.

Youko frowned as he looked into his clothing chest, Shiori-sama had ordered him to wear a yukata today, but he wasn't sure which she'd prefer. She hadn't seen the amber yukata with the silver roses yet, and he had some hair ornaments to suit that outfit as well, the hair pins and combs Shiori had once commented on seeing so often. He picked out a series of subtle brown shades to paint his eyes with, and his amber lipstick, as well as some amber nail polish and wore the entwined foxes necklace. He'd asked his Patron to alter his control of the collar and cuffs that marked him as a concubine, so that instead of them only being apparent to youkai senses in the Makai, and then in their basic form, they could sometimes take the jewellery settings most of his previous Patrons had enjoyed seeing on him. Shuuichi had laughed and done as he asked, even allowing Youko the choice of which jewellery settings were apparent to human senses, giving a set of five options for each cuff and for the collar. They were still only apparent to anything beyond human senses in the Makai, an option which was usually only used if a Patron didn't want to advertise that he had a concubine with him for some reason. But now at least his wrists didn't have to look as bare as they usually did, even if none of the jewellery options for his collar would look quite right. He shifted all his cuffs to simple amber circles, elegant enough to please Shiori-sama he thought, but looking expensive enough to reflect well on Shuuichi.

Finally he put the thought of fussing more over his appearance firmly away from his mind. He looked as perfect an image of a traditional woman was he was going to look, and any further worry would just be an effort to delay the time he'd need to set off to visit Shiori-sama. He paused to fasten his geta on then locked the door behind him. Admittedly in a way it was an unneeded precaution since their wards were so specifically attuned to them, and the apartment building had guards despite it being in a good neighbourhood, so Shuuichi could justify charging more. But always locking the door when no one was in was something explainable to the humans, and it made it a bit less likely that any humans would run afoul of the wards. He didn't even want to think about what the Reikai would do if that happened, they usually issued execution orders on any demon living in the human world responsible for the death of a human. At least if they could catch the demon in question, no matter what the circumstances were. Of course they didn't care what happened to any human stupid enough to get himself killed in the Makai.

He'd got halfway to Shiori-sama's house while he was thinking about that, not really paying attention to his surroundings, but he wasn't blinded enough by his thoughts not to notice when a man was beginning to stalk him. He let the idiot think that he wasn't aware of what he was doing while he considered his options; there was still a bit too much of an audience for him to use his powers, but there was one mostly deserted alley he could cut through. That would have the benefit of ensuring he was attacked at a time of his choosing, and let him deal with the man without risking damage to his outfit. Besides, even if he made a point of staying where there were a lot of people, he couldn't be certain the human wouldn't try to grab him anyway, or that anyone would dare intervene. Humans tended not to intervene a lot of the time, because they were scared that they'd be hurt themselves, whereas demons didn't intervene because they had no reason to bother...actually human thinking and demon thinking on aiding a stranger or casual acquaintance were pretty similar. He wouldn't share that conclusion with anyone but Shuuichi, Asuka or possibly Hiei he resolved as he took the alley he intended to use for his own little ambush, lifting the hem of his yukata to keep it clean. There were enough weeds in the alley that he wouldn't even need to resort to the seeds he kept stored in his hair, and that would keep him from even mussing his hair, and if he _wasn't_ attacked before he left the alley Youko was going to bind the man anyway.

He needn't have worried about the human having the brains to realise he was being lured, as soon as they were out of easy view from the street they'd just left he tried to grab hold of Youko by the shoulder. Any youkai had good enough ki-senses to detect when he was about to be attacked, and the bindweed nearest them lived up to its name, binding the human helplessly against the fence. Youko glanced back at him coldly, considering whether it would be a good idea to use a drug to make him forget what had just happened, or if he was likely to edit it out of his memory anyway.

He concluded that even if the man didn't edit this out of his memory it wouldn't be believed so it wasn't worth risking messing up his hair by drugging him. Instead he just knocked the man out with a fist to the head, then let him fall to the ground as the bindweed returned to its original state. He made a point of checking the man's pulse, without messing up his yukata, and since it was strong and steady he knew he was in the clear so far as hurting a human went, but still, it would be a good idea to phone someone and report a version of this.

Shiori felt as if she was meddling too much in her son's life, almost as if she was trying to arrange a marriage for him, even though she'd always felt that was inappropriate in these times. She firmly reminded herself that Shuuichi had _asked_ her to add Akari to the family register before she was transferred to the Hatanake family register, so all she was doing by having Akari perform the engagement tea ceremony for him was reminding him of his human heritage.

There was something wrong, she could tell from the way Akari held herself when she arrived, not that her discomfort could be seen on her face. Akari removed her geta with the incredible grace she'd learned was so characteristic of her son's chosen lover, the grace she'd grown used to seeing in her son. Most of her jewellery was familiar, but the amber bands at her wrists and ankles were new, almost matching the amber yukata. Shiori wanted to help, but she couldn't say anything unless Akari asked her for help.

"I don't think I've seen that yukata before, is it another of my son's choices?"

"Yes, he sometimes calls me his silver rose." She was blushing faintly, but Shiori could see how the yukata was appropriate for that nickname.

"Oh, is that why he chose that particular pattern?"

"No, it...Shuuichi-sama likes making jokes that only make sense if you know certain secrets, and I always used a rose as a weapon before I died, so..." There was something about her reaction when she mentioned using roses as a weapon...

"You only used roses as a weapon?"

"No, but they were always my favourite plant to use as a weapon, and the only plant I really reshaped to use as a weapon, instead of just directing their growth." From the look on Akari's face...

"I don't really want to know more, do I?"

"No Kaasan, I do not believe that you do." She arranged herself gracefully on her knees in front of the table Shiori had set up to test her, without saying any more.

"I always wanted to see my son get married properly, but I won't, will I?"

"I doubt it, not unless Shuuichi-sama decides to go through with the form of a wedding to please you. And even that would be unlikely unless he chose a consort, rather than just keeping his concubines and giving us, or me at least, the protection of his name." Shiori couldn't understand some of Akari's attitudes, and she wasn't sure whether to attribute it to her age, or to her demonic nature. But this gave her an excuse to change the subject.

"Speaking of names, have you decided which option you'd prefer for when we add you to the family register? Do you want to keep Youko as a second personal name?"

"Please, Shuuichi-sama has approved of that and I don't want to lose my last link to my clan." Shiori realised that she hadn't even thought about that, about how she'd lost all of her kin when she was young and that this might have made her feel as if she was deserting them or something.

"I understand, I don't want to deprive you of that." She wished that Akari wasn't _quite_ so dependent on her son's approval, but that was most certainly one of the demon things Shiori would never understand. The reference to consort, as opposed to concubine seemed to be one of those things as well, but perhaps she could learn to understand _that_ at least. "What did you mean when you mentioned Shuuichi taking a consort rather than a concubine?"

"It is a difference in status and level of commitment. A good analogy would be samurai in a way, at least I think so. A consort would be the equivalent of his wife in many ways, while a concubine or courtesan would be equivalent to a geisha contracted to serve him exclusively and prostitutes and whores in the Makai are equivalent to geisha who aren't contracted exclusively, that or untrained whores. It isn't exact, but it is good enough. And both concubines and courtesans can be dismissed by their Patron, while a consort is for life, and always submissive to his or her lord."

"Her lord, so a female demon can't have a consort?" It sounded as if the Makai was very much behind the human world socially, although the existence of concubines should have already cued Shiori in to that.

"Oh, no, of course she can if she's powerful enough. I've had female Patrons before, while I was just a one-tail, the term I've translated as lord is gender neutral in the original language. Some races of demons have pretty severe gender imbalances, the Koorime for example are exclusively female, at least in appearance, asexual might be a better term in many ways." Shiori noticed how demurely she was sitting, hands folded in her lap, except for when she hid her smile at Shiori's suggestion of sexism in the demon world behind her hand.

"What of kitsune then?"

"I cannot say for certain about birth rate, but I would estimate about 60 female kitsune in the population, although even male kitsune look feminine in human form." And that was a reminder she didn't really need of Akari's true nature, even if Shiori did have to agree that her son had always looked rather effeminate.

"I want you to perform the tea ceremony for an engagement." And that was enough to make Akari smile, without trying to hide it.

"Yes Kaasan." Shiori watched as Akari went through the ritual flawlessly, probably better than Shiori could have done it herself she had to admit. But she still looked at Shiori uncertainly, waiting for approval.

"That was perfect. On Friday could you bring an appropriate Ikebana for that ritual as well?"

"That will not be a problem Kaasan. We've covered arrangements for special occasions fairly recently in our class, and I can always ask Fujimiya-sensei for advice if I need to." She blushed, bowing her head. "If I might ask, are you intending for me to perform this for Shuuichi-sama?"

"Yes, why? Do you think he'll object?"

"More likely he will take it as a sign that you approve of his choice to take me as his concubine and give me the protection of his name."


	13. Chapter 13

Youko shivered as he waited for someone to come and speak with him about what had happened yesterday. He couldn't quite believe the prompt response his Patron had got when he demanded that a representative of the Reikai come to see him about the human who'd attacked him - or tried to at least. Shuuichi had been _furious_ about what had happened, but he'd made a point of telling Youko that he'd done _precisely_ the right thing, and reassuring him of his support repeatedly. That didn't mean Youko wasn't still worried though, he'd used his powers against a human, and the Reikai government tended to assume guilt lay with the youkai in any cases like that, even if it was self-defence, and his master had realised that.

"_You won't be any use to Yukina until this is cleared up will you?" Shuuichi had an amused expression on his face as he spoke, with a faintly contemptuous set to his mouth._

"_I'm sorry Shuuichi-sama, I don't mean to be so emotional." Youko apologised for his inadequacy from where he knelt in front of his Patron, only for the redhead to sit down and pull him into an embrace, cradling him against his chest._

"_It's alright, I'm not angry at you. You've never been _allowed _to be emotional like this before, have you?"_

"_N-not since my clan were destroyed. My old Patrons would never permit such a display, and then I couldn't afford to look weak." Youko couldn't quite believe Shuuichi was willing to permit him to do this, lean up against him and almost cry into his chest, he never had the patience to indulge him in this when they shared a body._

"_Well, I don't mind if my concubine is emotionally weaker than I am, it turns me on a little. You don't always have to be strong, and I'm flattered you trust me to protect you while you're weak." Then he'd just whispered soothing, reassuring words to Youko until he'd calmed, and told him that he didn't have to visit Genkai until this was settled, he'd explain it to her. And he hadn't even expected Youko to spread his legs for him that night, he'd actually gone to Asuka for release._

Asuka had thanked Youko for that, for the fact that their Patron had been ready to pay sexual attention to her again, before she left to train with Genkai that morning. He hadn't bothered to correct her assumption, but he had to acknowledge that it had made her feel better about herself, more confident, and he _knew_ her confidence had taken a blow when Yuusuke had apparently decided not to accept Shuuichi's offer to bed her. He shook his head, his concern for his fellow concubine aside, those thoughts weren't really helping him calm down, they were just making him feel more nervous, and he needed to find something to help him calm down.

Working with plants might help, especially if it wasn't for anything but to create beauty, and Shuuichi had brought some pots, compost and orchid seeds last night, as a reward for doing well in the teamwork exercise on Sunday. Asuka's reward had been a little different, she was to be fitted for a formal kimono on Saturday. So when he heard a knock on the door Youko was just finished germinating his third orchid, having decided to let them grow 'naturally' once he'd set them to produce their first true leaves. He'd also managed to calm himself, and thanks to Shuuichi's repeated assurances he was certain he'd been in the right, even if the Reikai didn't agree, Shuuichi was the only one whose opinion mattered anyway.

When he got to the door he could sense that it was Botan who'd come to talk to him with more than a little relief; he knew that was a good sign, she was comparatively friendly towards the demons in the Tantei. And it meant that Lord Enma was unlikely to have got involved himself, so this was just Koenma, and he probably hadn't even needed to call in any favours to keep Youko out of trouble.

"Come in please Botan." She did have some power over him, so Youko made sure he kept his eyes cast down, and did his best to avoid offending her, but he did have to remind her to take her shoes off. "You can put your shoes in the closet to the right, and your jacket in the closet to the left."

"Okay." She looked more as if she'd simply forgotten than as if she'd deliberately intended to be so uncivilised, and perhaps that tradition didn't exist in the Reikai, it didn't really exist in the Makai after all. _Certainly_ not among kitsune, although races like the Koorime might follow the practice.

"Lord Koenma ordered me to talk to you about something that happened yesterday, but he didn't explain exactly what, he just said I should promise you that we have no intention to prosecute you for defending yourself without resorting to killing. Can you explain what happened?"

Youko fussed with his yukata a bit as he settled into seiza to get time to compose himself, Botan just looked at him patiently, as she mirrored his actions, managing her trailing sleeves with practised skill. "When I went to visit Shiori-sama there was a man stalking me, a ningen unfortunately. I gave him the opportunity to attack me, and he did, so I used bindweed to immobilise him, then knocked him out with a blow to his head. After that I called the ningen police about him."

"The only part of that you have to worry about is using bindweed to immobilise him, and since you didn't do any damage with it you should be safe enough. I'd suggest that you don't use your powers on humans at all, but as long as it's not intended to hurt humans you should be alright. Do you think there's any chance of him being believed if he tells anyone about how he was captured?"

"I doubt it, I hit him hard enough to give him a concussion, and even if he _didn't_ edit that out of his memory by himself I released him before calling the police, so there's no evidence."

"You don't have some sort of memory wipe pollen or something?"

"Yes, but...I didn't want to mess up my hair, and besides I wasn't sure how badly Reikai authorities would react to me using something like that on a human."

"Better than if we have to use our power to cover up your mistakes." Botan sounded just a bit impatient, and Youko bowed his head in apology. "As long as you don't use your powers in any noticeable way, or do permanent damage to humans you'll be fine. I suggest you find somewhere else to hide your seeds if you're going to be fussing over your appearance."

"Yes Botan, I'll remember that. I intend to find somewhere to hide the seeds for plants I can use for something outside of fights other than my hair. I swear I wouldn't have bothered about how my hair looked if I had been in real danger, or if I hadn't been going to visit Shiori-sama."

"You care about her, a lot. That will probably help if you ever get into serious trouble."

"Yes, she's been treating me almost as if I were her daughter. Thank you for taking the trouble to reassure me."

"Your Patron was very insistent, but it's nothing." Botan waved his thanks off as she left.

Asuka carefully hid her smile at Youko's apparent anxiousness to hide his new Ikebana, she really didn't think the silver kitsune would react well to her amusement, but she was just waiting for him to ask if she'd hide it in her bedroom for him.

"I don't understand, why is it so important that our Patron not see that arrangement?" Youko turned to her at that and blushed.

"I...I'm not entirely sure that Shiori-sama did want me to hide it from him, but she asked me to make a suitable Ikebana for the tea ceremony I am to perform for Shuuichi-sama on Friday, so I think it might be better if he didn't see it before then."

"I see your point. Shuuichi-sama is working on foxfire at the moment, but he doesn't usually go into my bedroom for that, and you could always create an illusion that the Ikebana is something different, or even just an entirely different Ikebana."

"Or I could do the same in the kitchen, since he doesn't usually go there, but..." Either way, if Shuuichi decided he wanted to go into the room in question there was no way they could stop him, and Youko must have been dithering over this since he got back here.

"Cast the illusion to hide the Ikebana. I think it will be more plausible for it to be in my bedroom." Asuka only realised that she'd given Youko an order when he looked at her coldly, with all the arrogance he could muster on his face, but at least he didn't seem to be _angry_ with her, or if he was then he wasn't letting it show. "I do not mean to be insolent, but I cannot think of another solution, and we should do some more work on your shapeshifting before our Patron returns to take you to that Go parlour you like so much."

"It isn't the Go parlour, it's one of the players there. He reminds me a bit of someone I cared for once, and he's very good." Was Youko...blushing? Yes, he was, ever so slightly. Asuka wondered if that was something he'd learned to do on cue, or whether he just betrayed his emotions so obviously - although if he did it had to be something recent, since his reputation would preclude that.

"So, does he play like this person, or just look similar?" Asuka tilted her head to one side in question, distracting Youko as he wove an illusion over his Ikebana.

"Just looks, that and how much he cares for the game. Here, put it in your bedroom. I'll need to check on it tomorrow as well, but for now I can work on my shapeshifting just as well without you watching."

He could do that indeed, Asuka thought as she took the Ikebana into her bedroom, putting it beside her bed. Except he didn't seem to be anywhere near as motivated as Shuuichi had been and she wasn't certain if it was his inability to master the skill as swiftly and easily as their Patron had or his reluctance to work on it that was holding him back. He'd decided to work on transforming into a tengu like someone he called Karasu first, something that their Patron had put off until the _end_ of his training, that he'd actually shifted into as part of his 'graduation exam'. And Shuuichi had frozen when she showed him that picture, whispering the name before shaking his head and forcing himself to take the correct form. It wasn't often that their master showed any sort of weakness, and she'd made a point of not showing that she'd noticed it - it would be dangerous if she let him know she'd seen his weakness, even if it had been fleeting.

When she returned to the main room she saw that Youko was constructing an illusion of this Karasu - or a tengu at least, from the bone outward. It was a technique Shuuichi had used as well, but not one she'd ever heard of before. Considering how useful it seemed to be she should consider asking Shuuichi for permission to let her clan know about it, especially since from what she could tell it was something he'd invented himself.

"Impressive." She let the truth of that statement show in her voice. "But can you apply that?"

"I'm not sure. Shuuichi-sama once asked me to create a construct of Karasu in the dreamscape, but I didn't know how to. This is an extension of that so far, I think anyway. I'll have to see if I can apply it, here or in the dreamscape."

"Well, try now."

"As you wish." Youko stood to give her a better view, reverting to his kitsune form first.

Youko shifted uncomfortably as he waited for his Patron to return home. He was using Shiori-sama's formal tea set for the ceremony, and they'd set everything up together, Youko blushing sometimes at Shiori-sama's comments. He supposed that was the effect of seeing her as 'Kaasan' while Shuuichi was growing up physically, exacerbated by her request for him to address her that way now, humans did have a tendency to always perceive their parents as asexual, and while kitsune didn't have that option his clan had been destroyed when he was first becoming aware of what sex meant. They'd done as much of preparing for the evening meal as they could in advance, and now all he had to do was wait until Shuuichi returned, so he could perform the ceremony. Perform the ceremony, and hope that his Patron wasn't angered by the presumption he was showing.

He was wearing his kimono as a geisha would, tied to display his figure (even artificial as it was) and without the padding that a proper housewife would wear, but Shiori-sama hadn't objected to that. He had to wonder if that was because she agreed with what that said he thought his place in Shuuichi's life was, or just because she didn't realise what the implications were. He'd been tempted to pant his face the way a geisha would as well, but he'd known better than to try something that obvious, and besides it would have gotten him far more stares than he wanted. Not that he didn't get stares anyway, for dressing in such an old-fashioned way, when he looked so young, but for Youko there was a difference between stares as a result of something he'd been ordered to do, and stares from something he did without orders. He knew that he was exotic enough that people would be staring at him even if he dressed like them, the way people stared at Shuuichi, but that wasn't the same thing at all, and there was nothing he could do to change that, but what little he could do to reduce the stares he would do.

While he was waiting he could at least get something useful done, and since he hadn't managed too well with the effort to shapeshift into a tengu on Wednesday he might as well spend some more time working on getting the details right. Youko began the process of creating his illusion of Karasu from the bones outward, hoping he hadn't got any in the wrong places, but knowing that if he had that was nothing he could do to correct it. He was pretty sure he understood the anatomy of a tengu intellectually, but not...not with the sort of understanding he needed to shapeshift into that form successfully.

"You're missing a few points there my silver rose." Youko looked up at his Patron in surprise, he'd been so focused on what he was doing that he hadn't noticed his Patron arriving, and he fully expected to be punished for that. He made to destroy the illusion but Shuuichi stopped him with a raised hand, adding a few tiny details to the illusion, details that somehow made it all fit together right in Youko's mind.

"Thank you Shuuichi-sama." He lowered his eyes submissively as he smiled up at his master in gratitude. With the help he'd just been given...Youko thought he'd be able to take a tengu's form within a week, and then he'd have to decide what sort of demon he should try shifting to next. Probably whichever of his Patrons he felt had been the least abusive and he'd been most comfortable with.

"How are you doing with the shapeshifting anyway?"

"I tried to shift into tengu form on Wednesday, but I didn't do very well."

"You don't have to feel obligated to hurry. I expect this will take you a lot longer than it took me, simply because you need to figure out how to combine illusion and shapeshifting to appear to change gender as well." That made Youko feel a lot better about how poorly he seemed to be doing, and it meant at least his Patron wouldn't be comparing how fast they learned to shapeshift. "Kaasan said she wanted you to show me one of the tea ceremonies you've learned?"

"Did she explain what it was for?" Youko still prepared to begin the ceremony as he spoke, while Shuuichi settled into seiza opposite him.

"Engagement, that means she approves of us at least. Pity I have to disappoint her when it comes to grandchildren."

"Yes, but we can't risk having kitsune born in the ningenkai."

"Probably not, no. They couldn't stay in the ningenkai all their lives, and if they didn't grow up in the Makai we couldn't be certain they were capable of surviving there." When Shuuichi fell silent that time Youko took the cue and began performing the tea ceremony, grateful that he didn't see it as a case of Youko overstepping his bounds. Then, before they left Shiori-sama added Youko to the family register.

Youko, Minamino Youko Akari now, was almost purring in absolute contentment as his Patron lavished attention on his body, stroking, kissing and lightly biting him all over. It didn't _matter_ that he was tied to the bed, or that Shuuichi seemed to be trying to keep him aroused and wanting for as long as possible, he'd just been taken into his master's family, and Shuuichi was giving his undivided attention to him. Finally Shuuichi seemed to decide enough was enough, and entered him, fucking him through one climax, and on to a second before coming himself. Then his master began slowly untying him, fingers lingering on his wrists and ankles for a few moments longer than necessary, and even though Youko knew that it had to be post-coital languor it _felt_ like genuine affection.

"So, I've made you part of my family. What do you think that means?"

"That you chose to claim me as yours more thoroughly than my previous Patrons did by giving me the protection of your name." Meaning that even when-if Shuuichi freed him the other would still have some obligation to aid and protect him. It was at least a low level, _permanent_ commitment, if not quite of the type he longed for. "And perhaps that you do not anticipate becoming tired of me within the next hundred years or so." He didn't dare say what he _hoped_ it meant, and besides that hadn't been the question. His answer didn't seem to have made Shuuichi angry, since it elicited an almost approving hum from him.

"Still, I don't think Minamino is really an appropriate name for a kitsune clan, do you?"

"No Shuuichi-sama." And if his Patron was thinking of starting his own clan at some point did that mean...

"Recreating the Youko clan would probably work better, and the Toura clan would be more likely to help us out by raising the first litter or three if the kits we offered were sired by a silver than by a red. You were what, the grandson of that last golden kitsune?"

"Yes Shuuichi-sama. But...it would be an insult to offer a concubine as breeding stock, especially if keeping..." Youko flushed and bowed his head when he realised he was _criticising_ his Patron.

"I'm not going to keep Asuka as my concubine, but I will offer her the option of starting a clan with us. Not that we can do anything about it until I get my fifth tail, at the earliest." And that was probably assuming that Youko didn't manage to gain his sixth tail first - not that he thought that was likely. "And at least for now you have to stay my concubine. We'll see about other options after we've got that demon gang put away, okay?"

"As you wish Shuuichi-sama." Was he hinting that he might...Youko didn't know, and he didn't want to think about it. There _were_ other arrangements besides making Youko his consort, some more equal, some less, and Shuuichi could only take _one_ consort, and he could take, and share as many breeders as he chose, for instance. "Might I ask what proportion of the kits you intended to offer?"

"Half of the first litter, a third of the second and a quarter of the third. All of their choice. And rounding up if we have to offer that - I'd _prefer_ rounding down." It was pretty rare for kitsune to decide to try and start a new clan so they didn't have any traditions to guide them, but Youko was sure that Shuuichi could organise everything and make whatever plans and deals he needed to so he could recreate Youko's clan with him. "We'll try for a litter by you, followed by a litter by me and then, if we can manage it both of us getting Asuka with kits."

"If that pleases you Shuuichi-sama." Youko didn't know if Shuuichi had considered birth control already for Asuka, or if he fucked her rarely enough that it wasn't a concern. "So, you're planning on my siring the smallest litter?" As he _knew_ Asuka hadn't carried kits before, and a first litter was always smallest.

"Well, it balances out, I doubt there'll be enough of an increase in numbers between the first and second litter to make a third of the second litter more than half of the first."

"So they won't be bothered by that, and with the third litter the Toura clan would probably try to take my kits rather than yours." If they could tell the difference. It was perfectly logical, and Youko couldn't feel a bit offended by it, because _of course_ Shuuichi would prefer more of his blood in the reborn clan than Youko's. And besides, most lords wouldn't ever share a breeder with their consorts, so just by being permitted to impregnate Asuka Youko was ahead of the game.

"We should bring Asuka into this discussion if we're planning how to create a clan. Go and get her."

Asuka wasn't expecting a visit from their Patron that night, and she _certainly_ wasn't expecting Youko to tap lightly on the frame of her screen door and then walk into her bedroom naked without waiting for her to invite him in.

"Our Patron wishes to speak with you." He paused, as if uncertain about whether or not to continue. "He is considering possibilities for the future, probably after the humans around us have died." Asuka had thought that their Patron was intending to free her after she'd taught them what she could about how to use their powers, and she was certain that wouldn't take more than a year at the rate the two were learning. Well, it didn't matter, he was a good and generous Patron, and he seemed to understand that sex was still an uncertain thing for her, so he attended to her pleasure as well as his own. She stood, fastening her robe more tightly closed - not that she was stupid enough to think her appearance was much of a temptation for him, but she was more comfortable covered, at least a little bit - and followed Youko.

There were enough cushions littering the floor of Youko's room that she had somewhere comfortable to join Shuuichi in sitting seiza, and she focused her attention on him. "You summoned me Shuuichi-sama?"

"Tell me, when I free you what is your plan?" When, not if, so he wasn't thinking of keeping her long term.

"I...want to return to my clan." She didn't have enough confidence to travel the Makai any longer, and she probably wouldn't for a while. Youko had told her that he'd felt the same, when he finally gained his second tail he'd immediately left for the ningenkai, to learn how to use his abilities well enough to stay safe. Even though she knew she should really try to fend for herself, to keep from developing a phobia and ending up a prisoner in her clan's territory, she couldn't contemplate the idea at the moment. She did feel safe under Shuuichi's protection, but...

"And if I offered to let you stay under my protection, affiliated with me?" That sounded like he was offering the sort of thing she couldn't let herself ask for, or even hope for.

"As what? I...if you wanted me sexually then you would have taken more advantage of the claim you have on me now. What else can I offer you?" She knew he couldn't love her, even if he did seem to care about Youko.

"Youko cannot carry my kits, you can. I am thinking of recreating the long destroyed Youko clan. How do you think your clan would react to a proposition to trade some kits we have sired on you for the raising of the rest of your first few litters in their lands until we have numbers enough to hold our own lands?"

"I...you are proposing to take me as a breeder, and to share me with Youko then? My clan would be insulted if he was still a concubine when you made the offer, but they would gladly accept if you named him your consort, or spouse." She was interrupted by a quickly stifled gasp from Youko, and Shuuichi pulled the silver into an embrace, stroking his hair carefully. "But, might I ask something?"

"Go ahead." Shuuichi's voice was rough, almost angry, she was treading on dangerous ground and she knew it.

"You have made it clear you are unlikely to come to me for more than breeding purposes, so how much freedom would I have to take lovers?" It wasn't exactly unheard of for a breeder to bed others than her lord, but she _had_ to make sure that she only had children by him, or those he instructed her to carry children by. And she could easily get in trouble if her encounters were discovered anyway, there were plenty of stories about breeders being tortured to death for indiscretion; rarely kitsune breeders belonging to a kitsune lord, but still...

"Others in my new clan. I intend to recruit some more kitsune in situations like yours, preferably females, but males will work too, either as part of my own household, or for my kits when they mature. And I expect you not to have kits by anyone I don't approve." That was really reasonable, generous even and Asuka was surprised by that considering how controlling he was with Youko...But then, it made a strange sort of sense, their Patron valued Youko, cared for him, so of course he was possessive and controlling about him. All Asuka was to him was something to breed his offspring, and Youko's, and to teach them.

Youko had let his eyes slide shut as his master began to cradle him after Asuka had spoken his most secret hopes. She'd as good as said that the only way he'd be acceptable to her clan as the father of her children was if he had the status of being Shuuichi's consort or his spouse. He'd rather be a consort, but there were precisely two real differences in the status of a consort and a spouse; consort was permanent, while a lord could 'divorce' a spouse, and a lord could have up to five spouses. He couldn't even bring himself to be jealous over what his Patron said about recruiting other kitsune, not when he had the prospect of actually getting his dream, or at least a step closer to his dream, in his mind.

"Then, if you desired to make me your breeder I would be willing Shuuichi-sama, provided I had the right to refuse to carry kits by any particular male if I wished to." Youko couldn't quite believe how much courage she was showing in making demands of their Patron in such a steady voice, _he_ couldn't have done that.

"I don't intend for you to carry anyone's kits but mine and my silver rose's at the moment. Will you have a problem with that?" There was a hint of a threat in Shuuichi's voice, enough to make Youko nuzzle against his chest, enjoying the way his Patron absently petted him in comfort.

"You saved me, and you've given me self-confidence and a sense of self-worth I thought I'd lost. And Youko is incredibly gentle with me. Of course I'll bear your kits and his." Shuuichi pushed Youko to sit alone at that, still stroking his hair though. "But...there is the question of names. If we are going to recreate the clan Youko then he can hardly use merely that name." That was a very relevant question, and not something he'd consciously considered before, although he'd given up any thoughts of returning to the Makai as the notorious Youko Kurama himself three years ago. And besides, he'd been given a new name, by someone he respected, almost loved.

"If I might Shuuichi-sama, I would prefer to be known as Youko Akari in the Makai." It was pretty eccentric for a male to use a female name without actually playing the female part to the hilt, but Youko - Akari, he should start thinking of himself by that name if he was serious about this - wasn't sure he could live as a female to the extent of keeping up the disguise constantly. And females weren't really limited among kitsune, so the disguise would interfere in his activities in the Makai in a way it didn't here, at least until he learned the whole trick to changing his gender on the surface, and _that_ would drain his energy, so he wasn't certain he wanted to do that. Not unless he was ordered to anyway. "And, which name do you intend to live under in the Makai?"

"What do you mean?" He sounded surprised, Youko wasn't entirely clear on why though. "I've always used Kurama around the Reikai and with other demons. And besides, since the Dark Tournament everyone knows that I'm Youko Kurama reborn." Even if he wasn't, not exactly. "I'm as strong as you were when you died now that I don't have your energy and soul inside me, messing things up, so it isn't as if I can't live up to that reputation." Akari wanted to flinch at the reminder that he _hadn't_ been a source of extra strength to Shuuichi when he was still trapped inside the other's body, he'd been a source of _weakness_, even though his master would have been like Kuwabara or perhaps Yuusuke without him.

"I had just thought you might want to break all connections to that life Shuuichi-sama." The way Yo-_Akari_ wanted to.

"Tempting, but no." Then his master got the odd, almost cruel smile that Youko _knew_ from painful experience showed he was thinking something Akari was unlikely to be happy about. Not always something that would _hurt_ him, physically or emotionally, but something that would unnerve him, and make him feel uncomfortable. "If you're intending to go by Akari in the Makai then I think we ought to start using that name for you now. Asuka, you are to only use the name Akari for him from now on." And that wasn't as bad as he'd thought it might be, it would even help Yo-Akari remember which name he was going to be answering to in future, and help shift his thinking too.

"Then should we address you as Kurama-sama in future Shuuichi-sama?" Asuka's voice was quiet, and very reasonable, but Akari still wanted to flinch at what she was saying.

"No." And that was that.


	14. Chapter 14

Youko found himself humming in pleasure as he helped Yukina in the kitchen the next day, preparing to roast a deer for all of the Tantei who'd agreed to gather here in the afternoon. He'd grown all the Makai herbs they'd need to make the dressing, and even if some of the ingredients weren't really authentic he was pretty sure it was up to the standards of the few restaurants in the Makai - at least the standards from thirteen hundred years ago, when his Patron had decided he should learn to cook for him. And he'd done his best to cater to what he knew of the Tantei's tastes in creating the dressing - Shuuichi most of all, but Yuusuke and Kuwabara's tastes were considered as well, as he knew nothing of Hiei's preferences, but suspected they tended to the utilitarian.

"Should I ask what makes you so happy Youko?" And that reminded _Akari_ of what his Patron had said yesterday.

"Shiori-sama added my name to the family register, and...you should call me Akari from now on, since my Patron has informed me I am to live under that name from now on."

"And you are content with that?"

"Why wouldn't I be? I do not actually have any particular affection for the name Kurama, it was just that kitsune are expected to have a clan name and a personal name and it fitted me well." That wasn't exactly true, but a name given to him by a woman he'd learned to see as a parental figure had more value to him than the name a Patron had given him and it wasn't exactly uncommon for kitsune to change their personal names on occasions that would change the course of their lives. And being given the protection of his Patron's name and the promise of eventually becoming Shuuichi's spouse, or perhaps even his _consort_ was certainly an occasion that would change the course of Akari's life.

"Very well Akari. What else do we need to add to the dressing?" Akari blinked at the change of subject, glancing at the dressing they'd been preparing.

"Nothing more, that is it. We can leave the vegetables for later, now we should start cutting the deer up properly." As compared to the simple field dressing he'd done earlier, removing the offal and skinning the deer, leaving the offal out for the natural foxes and other small predators in the forest. Yukina nodded at that, and pulled the deer out from where she'd used her powers to keep it cool.

"Any particular way we should cut it?" Yukina's inexperience with cooking meat that had been freshly killed was showing, not that he blamed her for that, he seriously doubted she'd been free long enough to need to learn that between leaving her people and being caught and enslaved by those ningen.

"I'll cut it up for you, and you can watch, it's really a one person job anyway. Next time you can cut the deer up, under my supervision." He didn't bother trying to find the right sort of knife for this, instead reshaping a leaf and reinforcing it with his ki to serve that purpose. "I'd suggest we look through your knives to find the right type for this job, or buy a new knife if none of the ones you have will work before we try this again, but I'll just be using my leaf blade for now." Akari kept up a running commentary as she jointed the deer and then cut it up further, removing the organs and laying them to one side to cook separately and arranging the meat in a large roasting dish. "Now you can baste it with the dressing and then we can put it in the oven." Since Yukina'd started it heating about halfway through the process of cutting the deer up at Akari's request. He watched as she basted the meat with the dressing, taking hold of her hand when she had about a third of it left.

"Leave it at that. We'll need to add some more when we put some of the vegetables in to roast with it."

"Ah, shall we start preparing the vegetables now then, or wait and do something else?"

"It will take three to four hours for the deer to cook through, so why not come for a run with me while we have time?" The yukata they were both wearing weren't exactly ideal for running in, but not impossible, and it would help Akari get some practice in dealing with this sort of clothing.

"Why not." Yukina pulled her geta on as they reached the exit and Akari imitated her.

"You don't have much experience running when you're dressed like this, do you Akari?" Yukina seemed to be surprised that he'd start learning to run in yukata and geta when he obviously normally wore more practical clothing when he was doing anything active.

"No, but I need to get some experience. As I said my Patron tells me I will be living as Youko Akari when we return to the Makai, and that would be accepted better if I lived as a female, not just used the name." So he'd get some practice in now, and more as he could, despite the disapproving look Yukina was giving him. "Shuuichi-sama didn't order me to do this, I decided it would be easier to learn how to function dressed this way, since I've been circumventing his preferences in how I dress whenever I could before." He'd thought that if his Patron didn't care enough to give him specific orders it didn't matter, and he'd always looked enough like a woman to pass, so he _had_ been obeying the only explicit order, the implicit order to wear yukata and geta had never actually been stated.

"I didn't realise it was common for kitsune to wear yukata or kimono." The Koorime _did_ tend towards relatively traditional Japanese clothing styles - from the feudal era or the Shogunate, but that was unusual among demons, and kitsune generally preferred to wander about wearing a lot less clothing than that.

"It isn't. But Shuuichi-sama finds me appealing in them, and that's all that matters." Y-Akari shrugged, putting as much of his innate grace into the gesture as he could. "I'm not sure if this is something he's picked up from his time playing human, or if he just likes the idea of no-one but him seeing too much of my body, but he has every right to choose how I dress." He'd lose that right, or at least it would be weakened when he made Akari his consort or spouse, but Akari had the feeling he'd have grown so used to dressing this way by then that he wouldn't bother changing his style of clothing. It was unlikely to be before Shiori-sama died anyway, even if Shuuichi had managed to earn his fifth tail before that time.

"Ah, should I start preparing the vegetables now, or do my weight routine first?"

"How long does your routine take you?" They'd spent almost an hour running through the forest, Akari had followed Yukina, since by now the Koorime had to be at least as familiar with Genkai-shihan's lands as Akari was, and he'd been focusing as much attention on keeping his clothes clean as on running.

"Just over an hour." He'd set up the initial routine, and told her that she could alter it in two ways, increasing the weights she lifted and put in her clothes, and extending the time she _used_ the weights for, but she hadn't consulted him for a while.

"Then do your routine first, I'll be working on my shapeshifting. By the way, do you have any training in any weapons, a sword or a dagger perhaps?" He knew that any kitsune would have at least basic training in how to use a knife, and one type of sword, but he wasn't sure about Koorime traditions when it came to weapons work. After all, they were generally hostile to males, so he'd avoided them, _and_ the cold in their lands.

"No, I haven't had any training. It's so rare for us to leave our territory that it isn't considered necessary for us to learn how to fight." She seemed a bit embarrassed about that, not that Y-Akari really blamed her. _He'd_ have been a bit embarrassed to admit to leaving somewhere safe of his own free will without proper training - and Yukina was too young to have been trained fully, although her conviction and strength of will was impressive to be willing to risk herself to search for her brother so unprepared.

"There's three or four options then. First I could probably teach you the basics in using a sword or a knife, but it's been a long time since I relied on those skills seriously - I am _far_ better with a whip. Then again you could ask Genkai-shihan to teach you how to use a light weapon, but you would have to convince her to teach you. Asuka has been trained in how to use a sword more recently than I have, so you could ask her for training, or ask our Patron to order her to teach you. Finally you could ask Hiei to teach you." He was being just a little manipulative there, since it would force the two together and possibly be enough to convince Hiei to _tell_ Yukina that they were related.

"I'll have to think about it."

"Understood, it isn't a decision you want to make too swiftly. But you really need to learn _technique_ as well as gain strength, and probably learn how to use your ice in combat." He hadn't seen her do that so far, but she might already know that and just not have chosen to use it.

"I...it isn't approved of, and my only training was in peaceful applications, because I'm considered tainted, but I can ask Genkai-shihan for advice. I do have a few ideas though."

"Good. You don't need to share them with me, but perhaps Genkai-shihan's library will include some information as well."

"I'll check that later then. Thank you for the advice." She made sure Akari was settled somewhere he could work on his shapeshifting in peace, then left to do her routine.

Kurama had told Yuusuke and Kuwabara that his 'first concubine' would be cooking for them, something new, and he didn't want to miss that. Youko's cooking was incredible, and Yukina's was improving as well, from the already high standards she was adding lots of new things, and even Hiei seemed to approve since he never seemed to miss a meal Youko had helped with. But he didn't think Kuwabara needed to be quite that eager to get there.

"Hurry up Urameshi. If we take too long it'll all be gone by the time we get there."

"No it won't. You really think the old hag would let that happen? Or Yukina?"

"No, my angel wouldn't do that to me..." He trailed off, stars in his eyes, and Yuusuke scowled, punching him in the arm to get his attention.

"But you don't want to make her wait either, do you?"

"No, come on." Yuusuke put up with Kuwabara dragging him into a run instead of complaining again, he wanted to see what Youko had come up with now after all.

They weren't the last ones there, Kurama was sitting at a table, working on _homework_ with Youko kneeling at his feet, but it looked like Hiei hadn't turned up yet.

"So, how long will it be for the food?" He interrupted Kuwabara as he was declaring his devotion to Yukina, but Youko was the one who spoke up to answer.

"About a quarter of an hour, Hiei should be here by then, if he isn't here already and just hiding." Youko's voice sounded like it would carry quite a distance with the last phrase and that dragged Kuwabara's attention away from Yukina.

"I can sense _something_ strong enough to be him over in those trees." Yuusuke wasn't that worried, Genkai's wards were really good - except when she dropped them to let people in for something like that apprentice tournament. Hiei jumped down to join them anyway, and Yukina turned to him then.

"Hiei-san, Akari told me that I'm ready to learn how to use a weapon of some sort, and he suggested I ask you to teach me how to use a light sword."

"Akari?"

"I could teach you how to use a sword Yukina." Yuusuke didn't _care_ about that, he wanted to know who this 'Akari' was. And Hiei did too from the look in his eyes.

"No, you couldn't Kuwabara. You're good with your sword, but you're taller and stronger than most humans, your style takes advantage of that, and you have no idea how to adapt it for someone smaller and weaker, Hiei on the other hand uses a fairly light sword and has far more experience. And when we return to the Makai my first concubine will be using the name Akari, the way he does with most humans now, so I want him to start getting used to it early."

"But Akari's a girl's name." Why would Youko be willing to let people call him by a girl's name?"

"Yes, and Kaasan isn't entirely comfortable about the fact that I've taken a male lover, she'll only support me if Akari pretends to be female for the other ningen." He'd said that the disguise had been because his mother wanted a daughter before, but Yuusuke guessed it could be both. There was a cruel smile on his face as he reached down to stroke Youko's hair. "Does it bother you my silver rose?"

"It's a small price to be treated like family. We're roasting a deer if you were wondering by the way."

"Cool."

"Hiei-san, will you teach me, please?" Yuusuke wondered who'd set Yukina up to manipulate Hiei like that, or if she knew what she was doing.

"Yes." Hiei was curt as always, but Yuusuke could see his reluctance to spend so much time with his sister.

"Thank you."

"Yukina, we need to go and get the meat out to rest before we cut it now." Youko - no, Akari, he'd try to remember that - Akari stood, and Yukina followed her out.

"Asuka, would it make your practice with the sword much less effective if you were sparring with a novice like Yukina?"

"It would be less effective, but I don't have to improve for the same reason you do. When I return to the Makai I'm going straight back to my clan's lands and I won't be leaving their protection until I gain my third tail, or my third litter can take humanoid form."

"If you work at it I think you might be able to get your third tail in just twenty years, but...Genkai-shihan, will it be a problem for Asuka to act as Yukina's sparring partner? Or from your view Hiei?"

"Alternating physical exercise with mental training helps you learn. And a variety of influences makes for a stronger pupil."

"Go ahead."

"Good, and I might train with her sometimes as well."

Asuka didn't understand why Shuuichi-sama was having trouble learning how to use _foxfire_, it had always been the simplest of the kitsune techniques for her. Of course foxfire was basically light in an unusual form, so that might have been the reason it worked so well for her, but _all_ the kitsune in her clan were expected to learn how to use foxfire before they left the clan. And it was such a useful trick for a thief, or at least she thought it would be, the ability to create a small, subtle light and limit the area it illuminated _precisely_ as desired.

Not that she was going to _say_ anything about his difficulties, at least nothing that could be termed insulting, although she was tempted to tease him a bit about it, and this might be a good time to see how he'd react to slight insolence.

"Are you trying to delay learning how to use foxfire, since that's the only ability of a four-tail you haven't mastered yet, to fit the timing for having my new sword made?" she made sure to laugh lightly as she spoke, making it clear she was joking, and she surprised a laugh out of him as well.

"I just wish I was. No, I really _am_ finding it this hard to figure out how to use foxfire. I'm sure it's got nothing to do with power, but...I just can't get a grasp on the technique."

"I don't know what to tell you. My teacher always told me to find the visualisation technique that worked best for me, and that was the light I recommended to you."

"Every time I try visualising it that way I end up starting to create an illusion, and that's no good."

"No, it isn't." An illusion wouldn't help him see at all, it would only make him _think_ he could see, and it wouldn't have the other effects of foxfire, the more useful ones. "I think that's making it harder for you to learn this, the fact that you already have the ability to create true illusions, I can only hide things with illusion, so it didn't occur to me that you might find your power trying to twist the foxfire to the illusions you're used to wielding."

"You could hardly be expected to think of that, _I_ didn't either." Asuka hadn't expected that quiet reassurance, and she knew her surprise was showing on her face.

"As your teacher it is my responsibility to think of things like that in advance. Are you going to punish me for my failure to do so?" She didn't _want_ him to punish her, but she knew that acknowledging her fault would make her punishment a bit lighter than if she tried to hide it and he found out later.

"No. There was no way you _could_ have known. I don't think there was ever a kitsune who survived the destruction of his clan when just past puberty before Youko, so there's no way any other kitsune could have had this problem, learning how to use foxfire for the first time with more than two tails. Do you have any suggestions for an alternative visualisation? None of the imagery from my dream shaping does anything but create illusions."

She _should_ have ideas for an alternative visualisation, she was supposed to be teaching him after all, but he'd learned everything else so well and so fast that it hadn't occurred to her that he'd have difficulty with _this_. But Youko had said he treated his illusions a bit like the plants he'd controlled at first, perhaps that would be a useful place to start in adjusting the visualisation Shuuichi used to create his form of foxfire.

"Why not work with your strengths? Perhaps you should think about how a Sunstar blossom produces light and imagine the foxfire as if it were the flower."

"Well thought Asuka. I'll try that." This time when he raised his hand and focused what formed _was_ foxfire, of a sort, but it was shaped into the form of a Sunstar blossom, making Shuuichi laugh out loud. "Well, at least I know that I _can_ create foxfire, even if it isn't in the shape I wanted. But I _think_ I have the right pattern for making the foxfire fixed into my mind. You should remember this for when you teach Akari how to use foxfire as well, since his abilities are exactly the same as mine, only somewhat more powerful." That thought always bothered her a little, knowing that her fellow concubine was more powerful than their master, it seemed almost unnatural.

"I will remember that, but you learn a lot faster than he does, so it might not work as well for him as it does for you." Asuka hesitated before continuing. "Actually, if you'd be willing to it might help me teach him if you could write down anything you noticed while you're learning how to do this."

"That sounds simple enough. I'll do that then." With that he left her, presumably to start on what she'd asked of him.

Akari had put the finishing touches to his constructed community a few days ago, but he'd never expected Shuuichi to demand _this_.

"Yes, Shuuichi-sama, I have designed the autumn ceremony, I designed it second in fact." He glanced at his Patron's face to check the reaction, he wasn't angry, but he obviously wanted more information. "It wasn't as if I ever expected you to want to use that ritual, but designing it was a relief in a way, the other rituals I needed to have three or five different paths, because in the mythology I created you are the essence of change, this one only had one path."

"So, if I wanted you to use _that_ ritual tonight when we share dreams you'd need to brief me beforehand."

"Yes, and no. As I envisaged it, you are always surprised that the ritual doesn't change." Akari looked down, biting his lower lip in a display of uncertainty, calculated to arouse him. He could _tell_ his master the details of what he'd planned, something gentle in every way, what he'd wanted for far too long, save for the fact that he'd dreamed of being the one pampered, rather than the one doing the pampering, or he could show Shuuichi with an illusion, but then his master might decide to change the script. Still, better that than for him to anger his master now. "Do you wish to learn the details of what the ritual involves now? Or will you wait?"

"Surprise me." He laughed at the idea that he'd be so uncertain of himself that he'd need advance warning. "It isn't as if you'll be able to do that in the future is it now?"

"No Shuuichi-sama, it isn't. Your priest will have instructions on how to prepare you for the ceremony, and he'll talk you through the broad outline while he's preparing you."

"Preparing me. What would that involve?" He'd said the wrong thing, there was a dangerous edge to his Patron's voice, and Akari wasn't sure how he'd screwed up.

"Bathing you, massaging you and covering your body with oil, and dressing you in the appropriate outfit, since this ritual involves undressing you slowly, and you're meant to be wearing lots of layers."

"Lots of layers." Shuuichi found that funny too, even if Akari couldn't understand why. "How many? And do you want to be wearing lots of layers yourself to make it harder for me to get at your beautiful body?" So, he'd realised that at least part of the ritual had been designed as a measure of wish-fulfilment for Akari, although he'd focused on the wrong factor.

No, I might have with previous Patrons, but not with you. It's to contrast with how little we both wear in the first ritual I planned. And I think there's five or six different layers, but you shouldn't have problems walking or anything."

"I see." Now there was a pleased smile on Shuuichi's face as he stroked Akari's hair and face, leaning in to kiss him for a moment, then pulling back to continue the questioning. "And when you say preparing me does that include stretching me ready for your cock? I remember that I didn't need to do that in the first ritual."

"I...I didn't think you'd want to bother with that, stretching you is part of the ritual this time, but he will be cleaning you inside as well as out." That was the most polite way to put it, and even if it was probably unneeded in the dreamscape, since their forms were a reflection of desire Akari had wanted to build as much realism as possible into his constructed little world. He'd possibly built _too much_ realism into it, but if Shuuichi didn't like the idea he could easily alter it just a little, without even telling Akari since he never intended to question his Patron's priest.

"You mean your priest had done that to you before the other ritual?" Shuuichi sounded surprised, Akari couldn't understand why though.

"Yes, the point of the ritual is that it has to be 'perfect' sex, and a mundanity like that has no place in such things. I could have just set it up so that my form didn't need something like that, but...I found it easier to add in details like that than to change my form in the dreamscape."

"Strange, are you saying you actually need to relieve yourself when you're in the dreamscape?"

"Yes Shuuichi-sama. Perhaps it's got something to do with all the time I spent living only in your dreamscape?" His Patron wouldn't have known, but often when he'd been left tied up after Shuuichi had finished with him he'd ended up soiling himself, and having to lie there in the filth until his Patron began to dream again. He thought it was partly because an earlier Patron had found it amusing to do that exact same thing to him - and he'd killed the bastard later, as part of securing his reputation. But it had still left him with a certain fear of being treated that way again, and so it was no real surprise he found history repeating itself like that in his master's dreamscape.

This time Akari arrived at the ritual temple first, and sat on the altar waiting for the avatar of Shiveteraso. He was just wearing a kimono, dark green with a white pattern that he knew would make people think of the first snowfall, and an obi that recalled how leaves changed from green to brown come autumn. The altar was even more heavily cushioned than it had been for him, so it would be no less comfortable for Shuichi to lie on it than on a futon, and there was nothing more he could do to prepare, only wait.

He gave a gasp of pleasure when he saw Shuuichi being led towards him, moving slowly in his high geta from all the layers he wore. The top layer was an open, sleeveless outer robe in white and underneath that was a dark green kimono. Akari could see the under-kimono in shades of red toning to brown at the collar and cuff, and he knew that beneath those Shuuichi wore a close fitting tunic and trousers in a rich deep brown, reminiscent of the most fertile soil. He'd known better than to expect Shuuichi to kneel the way he had, instead Akari stood as his lover approached and held out his hand, accepting the hand the priest of Shiveteraso placed into it with a smile.

He pulled on Shuuichi's hand, turning him around and pushing him to sit on the altar while he stood in front of him, then leant down and cradled his face in both hands, kissing him hungrily, deeply, but gently enough for a seduction. He pushed the open robe from Shuuichi's body first, following that up with another kiss, at the base of his master's throat first, then moving up to the lips while one hand stroked along his spine and the other trailed along his jawline. He waited until Shuuichi closed his eyes in pleasure and unspoken surrender before he moved on to the next step, since Shuuichi would react differently each time there _would_ be slight changes every time they did this, but nothing of any significance.

He stood in front of Shuuichi, pushing his legs apart and reaching to untie his obi, then he ran his hands down his Patron's arms as he pushed the kimono from his shoulders. Again he kissed his lover, but this time he let his hands wander over Shuuichi's body as well, touching his lover through the layers of cloth covering him, focusing on places he knew caused a subtle arousal rather than a blatant one. He wanted to build slowly, enjoy every second of this, and so create a wonderful memory for his future fantasies.

He removed the next kimono, as slowly as the outer one, and pulled Shuuichi up to his feet again, pressing their groins together as they kissed this time. He guided Shuuichi's hands to his own obi then and whispered into his ear as he began removing the next kimono. "Unfasten my obi once I've removed this layer."

This time when he kissed Shuuichi he lifted him off his feet as well, holding him bridal style for a few seconds before sitting down on the altar itself and arranging Shuuichi on his lap. Then he removed the last kimono, sliding one hand inside his trousers carefully and running his other hand over his lover's body as he took Shuuichi's mouth.

"You can remove my kimono now." Shuuichi laughed quietly at that and pushed the kimono down Akari's arms until it was off and Akari let it fall down onto the altar behind him. He removed his hand from Shuuichi's pants, and swung him to stand in front of him, giving him a chance to stand up himself and toss his discarded kimono to the ground before pulling his lover into a swift embrace.

Akari was careful to be gentle as he removed the final layer, kissing his way up Shuuichi's exposed stomach as he raised the tunic, then stroking those beautiful legs as he pulled the trousers down, ending on his knees, and taking Shuuichi into his mouth just long enough to tease him a bit. Then he stood and swept Shuuichi into his arms, laying him down on his back on top of the altar.

He climbed onto the altar himself then, kneeling over Shuuichi and bending down to lick gently at each nipple in turn. He slowly explored Shuuichi's exposed body, first with his fingers, then with his lips and tongue before picking up the oil set beside the altar and carefully massaging it into his skin. He smiled in pleasure as he saw his master was lulled into a state of half slumber, and finally settled down between his legs and sucking him to a quick climax to relax his entire body, teasing his entrance with oiled fingers and actually sliding one inside as he climaxed.

"Roll onto your side." Shuuichi's eyes widened a bit at the quiet command, but he _did_ obey, and he didn't protest when Akari curled behind him, sliding a finger back inside him. He kissed the back of Shuuichi's neck as a distraction, and stroked him in the places he'd seen Shuuichi react best to so that he could arouse him again, and make this more comfortable for him.

When he finally entered Shuuichi he made sure to move almost painfully slowly, reaching around to stroke his lover's renewed arousal in the same rhythm _he_ was using. It didn't take too long before his master was pleading with him to move faster, and grip harder, but he made a point of ignoring that at first. When he finally did acquiesce to his lover's wishes they both climaxed within a handful of thrusts.


	15. Chapter 15

"Tell me, is the dream we've most recently shared an indication of what you want?" There was a cool amusement in Shuuichi's voice that made Akari shiver in mingled fear and arousal. "In the general mood and pacing rather than in the area of dominance of course."

"Yes Shuuichi-sama, at least sometimes. Your needs and preferences take priority of course, but on occasion it would be nice to be treated as a precious treasure." And that was something he'd _never_ truly experienced, he'd always been in charge except when he was with his Patrons, and his Patrons had never taken that sort of care of him.

"I see..." Shuuichi sounded almost as if he might consider...no, Akari wouldn't think about that remote possibility, it would hurt too much if he allowed himself to hope only to be disappointed. "And you can't risk asking for something like that from Asuka can you?" It wasn't really a question, and Akari knew that Shuuichi had understood exactly what he wanted, and why he never could have it, not with someone he needed to keep remembering her inferior position.

He was gentle enough with Asuka, getting the illusion of affection he craved, but...he had to be in charge with her, and what he really wanted now was to feel safe, protected and treasured, even loved. He hadn't craved that before, it was something he'd only come to need since being trapped inside Shuuichi's body and especially since realising how unlikely it was that he would ever be strong enough to make that body his own, but he was sensible enough to accept what he needed and try to find a way to live with his needs.

"I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised at your tastes, from your memories I already knew you tended to be gentle with your bedmates even before we shared a body, but that...was on a whole different level, wasn't it?"

"Yes Shuuichi-sama." What he'd had with Sai had been the closest to what he wanted with Shuuichi, he just hadn't cared enough about his other lovers, and Sai had always been so inhibited that there'd always been an edge of formality, even on the rare occasions Youko could persuade him into sex rather than Go.

Shuuichi laughed then, and pulled Akari to sit in his lap, kissing him with a surprising tenderness and running his hands gently over Akari's still-clothed body before pulling back to speak.

"Don't expect this very often, but I will indulge you like this on occasion."

"Thank you Shuuichi-sama." Akari kept his eyes cast down submissively, and wrapped his arms around his Patron's shoulders as he shifted to his half-fox form, growing larger and shifting how he sat to make it more comfortable with his tail. That was one reason Akari stayed in his human form most of the time now, unless Shuuichi ordered him out of it; human furnishings were not meant for people with tails, or for people as tall as they were in that form. And with Shuuichi in his larger form it made him feel a bit safer, more protected to be smaller than his lover, and not be hurt, although when his previous Patrons had been larger than he was it had just made him feel weaker and more vulnerable.

Shuuichi kissed his exposed throat, biting ever so lightly at it as well, making sure he understood who was in charge, unnecessarily, but Akari didn't object to his master's alpha nature, not anymore. Instead he arched his back, exposing his throat and belly even more in a sensual display of submission, and Shuuichi stood, lifting him in his arms to lie him on the futon, and then undressed him slowly, kissing his skin as he exposed it. Youko let himself moan and move in an abandoned response to the pleasure his Patron was giving him, losing track of anything beyond how he was being touched, ever so gently, and kissed, and given all the signs of affection he was normally denied.

"Watch me Akari." He shivered and obeyed, watching as his Patron slowly undressed, removing his clothes almost as slowly as he'd removed Akari's, and using his tail to give a sort of fan dance, hiding and revealing the more intimate areas carefully to arouse interest. "You like this? Seeing me undress for you?"

"Yes Shuuichi-sama." It shocked him, seeing his master do this for him, but it was really arousing too, especially because it wasn't supposed to work like that.

"Good." Then Shuuichi moved to crouch over him, kissing him again, hands wandering over his body, gently arousing him further, and for a wonder Akari didn't feel trapped by the heavier body pressing him down into the futon. Shuuichi coaxed nectar from the plant that Akari had finally decided to keep permanently by the futon then returned to stroking Akari's skin, petting and soothing him until most of his skin was covered in nectar, except his groin, and between his buttocks and he was almost totally relaxed beneath Shuuichi. Only then did Shuuichi slide a finger towards his entrance, moving to kneel on the futon and pulling Akari to straddle his lap, with his legs almost going around his waist as a distraction. Akari hesitated, then stretched up just a bit to wrap his arms around Shuuichi's shoulders, and Shuuichi responded by kissing him more aggressively than he had so far this time as he slid one finger into Akari.

Shuuichi's hand on his cock and mouth on his throat distracted Youko further as he finished stretching him, and then Shuuichi laid Akari onto the futon, pushing him to lie on his side, while Shuuichi spooned behind him, kissing at the nape of his neck.

"I want to be inside you, my silver rose, to join myself to you. Will you complain?" Quiet, whispered words, enough to make him moan and wriggle in anticipation, and Shuuichi even seemed to be waiting for 'permission', remaining still behind him, just keeping his cock pressed up against Akari's ass.

"Please, take me, I'm yours."

"Yes, you are." There was a possessive satisfaction in Shuuichi's voice, and he thrust into Akari even more slowly than Akari'd taken him in the dream, then just _waited_, only starting to move again at some signal Akari didn't realise he'd given. Shuuichi made a point of moving torturously slowly, and when he reached around Akari it wasn't to stroke him, but to hold him back from climax, although he did tease Akari's nipples gently with his other hand to keep him aroused. Akari was swiftly driven almost out of his mind with pleasure, all that mattered was making sure Shuuichi didn't _stop_, and that he kept on kissing his skin as if he loved him.

At one point Shuuichi must have shaken his hair over Akari's shoulders because he could see the blood red silk from the corner of his eyes when he opened them, and he reached up to grab hold of it with one hand. Shuuichi laughed softly in his ear at that.

"Go ahead, keep on holding on to that, I don't mind, and it'll help to ground you." The implied affection in those words was overwhelming, and _then_ Shuuichi decided to let him climax, which combined with everything else to make him black out.

~~~()~~~

Asuka started as she felt a spark of foxfire dart into her hair from behind, it wouldn't _burn_ her unless her master wished it to, and he found her too useful to do that, but it was surprising, and also...

"I take it this means you will no longer require my teaching for yourself Shuuichi-sama?" That sort of control said he probably wouldn't need any further lessons, it was better than _hers_ was, and she'd often played with foxfire to amuse herself in the brothels, as well as using it to please some of her customers.

"Indeed, and you'll do better with a sword made for your own hand than with the sword Genkai-shihan was kind enough to lend you."

"Thank you." Asuka wasn't really sure that the sword would help much compared to the training he'd arranged for her, but it would be nice to have her own sword, something she could take with her when they returned to the Makai. "I appreciate your generosity."

"You're my concubine and you will be my breeder; it's my duty to make sure that you're safe, protected and provided for. If I can't be there to protect you I _must_ ensure that you have what you need to protect yourself, in terms of weapons and training." Shuuichi-sama was being exceptionally practical and pragmatic compared to most of the Lords Asuka had encountered or heard about, it wasn't exactly a _kitsune_ trait even though all kitsune started out very weak, but she supposed it didn't matter where it came from, so long as it was there. "And it isn't as if you do not deserve it. You can make good use of it now as well, I know that."

"I'm glad I have been doing well enough in my training to please you then my lord." She was blushing faintly, but it didn't matter, in fact it was good that her Patron should see how much his praise meant to her. "Genkai-shihan is a very skilled teacher, and she deserves most of the credit for that."

"No one can teach a pupil who will not learn, you have earned your own share of credit." He rested a gentle hand against her cheek and leaned forward to kiss her; she preferred to see her master wearing his true kitsune form as he did now, and she wasn't quite sure why he normally wore his human form. "Come with me then, I left your gift in the main room."

That made perfect sense, Asuka thought as she followed him; he wouldn't have wanted to be encumbered by something so awkwardly shaped while he was talking to her and displaying his skill with foxfire. There was a simple wooden box laid out on the table, and that had to be the sword, but she didn't go to open it at once, preferring to wait for her master to give her permission. Instead she knelt across the table from the position her Lord took, folding her hands in her lap, eyes cast down submissively, ignoring the strands of hair falling into her face. She heard her master draw in a quick breath and she could sense his sudden arousal, as well as his effort to repress it for some reason. Asuka _wanted_ to ask why he was trying to deny his perfectly legitimate desire for her, but she knew better than to be so presumptuous.

"There's something you want to say, say it. You can speak to me however you wish to for now." Shuuichi sounded amused and Asuka dared to glance up through her lowered lashes to assess his true attitude.

"I...you tried to repress your desire for me. Why?" She shouldn't feel the need to remind him, but... "I am yours to do with as you please after all."

"Because I bought you as a teacher, not for how much I desired you, or for the children you could give me. I know you aren't entirely comfortable with sex yet and I don't blame you. And this is a time for me to reward you, not to hurt you, or ignore your desires." He gave a meaningful look at the box lying between them. "Do you intend to open your sword while I watch, or would you prefer it if I left so you can have your first sight of it alone?"

"I was but waiting your permission." She immediately reached for the box, and opened it, gasping in pleasure at the sight of the sword inside. It was plain in a lot of ways, with a sheath of simple black leather and blackened steel, and a black hilt, with the only hint of bright metal showing the dark silver of the pommel. When she lifted the sword out and unsheathed it she could see the quality of the blued steel, and feel the perfect balance and it was the perfect length and weight for her to wield, feeling natural in her hand as even the sword Genkai-shihan had lent her did not. "It is wondrous. My thanks my lord."

She couldn't resist the urge to swing her new sword for a moment, ignoring the way Shuuichi watched her with amusement in his eyes, then she wiped the blade down with the oiled cloth sent in the box and returned it to the sheath. She realised that her Patron's arousal had died while she tested her new sword, drowned by his amusement, and almost fatherly affection for her, and she deliberately arranged herself in a submissive posture, intended to incite his desire to dominate. This was the first time she'd truly desired sex for its own sake since Shuuichi-sama bought her, not because it would please her master or was necessary to secure his protection, or for comfort or as the natural ending to a game, but because she wanted to be fucked, and she wasn't going to miss that opportunity.

"I am glad you like it. Do you realise what you are trying to invoke?" The strain of controlling his reactions was showing in his voice, and Asuka flushed in renewed arousal.

"I know your preference is to dominate, but...this is the first time I have felt desire for its own sake since you bought me." She didn't need to tell him that she refused to waste this opportunity, in part for fear that she wouldn't feel this desire again for a long time if she denied it now.

"And my tastes could traumatise you again, as easily as repressing your own desires could, perhaps more easily. I am not gentle, not unless I force myself to be, and you are encouraging me to be rough and aggressive with you, deliberately or otherwise." He was looking at her levelly, with a coldness in his eyes that made her shiver, and that was enough to make an almost cruel smile twist his lips. "You see, you fear me even as you desire me, even though I've forced myself to gentleness with you in the past."

"And I cannot afford to fear your tastes if I am to be your breeder; now is as good a time as any for me to get past that."

"No, it isn't. But I think I would like to see Akari take you. You can learn to deal with my tastes later."

"As you wish my lord."

~~~()~~~

It had been his own idea to stay out of the way, to pretend he had something he was busy with in his bedroom, but Akari wished that he could see how Asuka reacted to the gift their Patron would be giving her. And he _did_ wonder what the sword Shuuichi-sama had commissioned for Asuka looked like, whether it reflected her personality or her powers at all, or whether it had been designed to suit her colouring as well as to be practical. Still, if he was there Akari was sure that Asuka would misinterpret his interest as jealousy, or something similar, and he didn't want to upset her or make her worry like that; he could always ask her to show him what it looked like later.

He sighed and put the issue from his mind, focusing instead on the exercises Asuka had recommended to improve his shapeshifting, and performing a few minor changes; changes he instantly reversed when he heard someone outside his door. He told himself not to jump to assumptions; his Patron was unlikely to be coming to enjoy him, he was far more likely to be going to celebrate his achievements with Asuka. Then Shuuichi walked in with Asuka trailing behind him and Akari stood to greet them.

"What do you wish Shuuichi-sama?" All he needed to do with Asuka was nod to her as he spoke with their master.

"I want to watch you with Asuka. Use some of the things I prefer to do with you on her, but more gently than I would."

"Is that what you would wish also Asuka?" He shifted into his half-fox form as he walked towards her, resting his hand against her cheek, watching as she shivered with desire at his touch.

"Oh yes. I _want_ to bed you, for the pleasure it would bring, not simply for comfort, or because I feel it is required. And...I must needs grow somewhat accustomed to our lord's preferences, must I not?"

"Yes, I suppose you must." He paused to kiss her, first on the lips, then lightly over the big pulse in her throat. "And I can give you a gentler introduction than he might, for he has no need to restrain his desires, and I do not share his desire to dominate in that way." He traced a line down her spine through her clothes as he spoke.

"I...had noticed, but if I might...I would request that you wear _this_ form, not the more human one." Akari could tell that Asuka was speaking as much to their Patron as to him, and so he left the answer for Shuuichi to make.

"It's little enough to ask." Shuuichi sounded amused as he spoke. "I'm willing to indulge her that way, are you?"

"This _is_ my most familiar form my lord." He smiled at their Patron as he spoke, sliding his hand down Asuka's cheek and skimming it over her shoulder and arm on the way down to rest on her wrist, light enough to do no more than tantalise.

"Yes, I know how long it's taking you to learn those things a clan should teach a kitsune." Akari resisted the urge to flinch at that, his master knew how sensitive a point that was for him, but there was no reason _Asuka_ should know that his words were anything more than ordinary cruelty - and it would be good for her to know now his penchant for such casual cruelty. But then...this time perhaps his cruelty would serve a purpose, because Akari had doubted his ability to perform as his master wished him to before Shuuichi-sama had said that.

"Indeed. Perhaps I should claim inadequate teaching, and take it out on my tutor now that you've given me the opportunity. What do you think Asuka?" And as he spoke he reversed the previous motion of his hand, sweeping it up along her arm, and over her shoulder, lifting her hair until the tips of his fingers rested just behind her ear as he cupped her chin.

"If you need such role play to satisfy our Patron's will then use it as you choose." Her voice was reduced to almost a whisper, and Akari thrilled to realise that he'd heightened her arousal so easily, to know for certain that she was ready for this. He laughed and let his hand trail down to trace the upper curve of her breast ever so lightly as he stepped away from her, glancing at Shuuichi from the corner of his eyes to assess his reaction to the show so far.

"Get undressed then." He hardened his voice just a little bit, watching to see how she reacted to that. She wasn't aroused by it, but she wasn't turned off either, and she obeyed; that was the best he could have expected, especially since _he_ wasn't kinked in a way that complemented their master's tastes either. He took hold of her by the wrist and pulled her over to the futon, letting the vines take over then, pulling her down and stretching her out over it, wrists bound together and legs spread open for him. She was aroused, but not enough, skimming a finger down past her clitoris Akari found that Asuka was almost dry and he hesitated over what to do next but...

"Our lord rarely chooses to hurt me through something so simple as lack of preparation." He drew nectar from an appropriate flower to moisten between Asuka's legs as he lay beside her and stroked her far breast with his other hand, lips and tongue working at her near breast, making as sure as he could that Shuuichi would see and be pleased by it.

"But I only bother with elaborate foreplay if I intend slow cruelty, or something similar." It was a hint, and Akari wasn't going to defy his master. He lifted Asuka's hip, sliding a cushion underneath them and moved to kneel between her legs, when he felt how tight she was around him he knew she hadn't really had enough foreplay, but there was nothing he could do about that. However, he did know what places on her body brought her most pleasure, and he didn't hesitate to use that knowledge to heighten her pleasure and arousal.

~~~()~~~

Asuka moaned in pleasure, enjoying Akari's sure and skilled touch on her body, even if the restraints still troubled her. But then his fingers slid between their bodies, playing with her clitoris for just a moment, and she shut her eyes, bucking up against him, and she realised just how much play there was in her bonds as she bent her knees and placed her feet flat on the futon. It was the closest she could get to actually wrapping her legs around Akari's waist the way she wanted to, but there was nothing she could do with her hands except grab hold of the vines binding her - not that she could have grabbed at him with the way he was positioned at the moment anyway.

"Sometimes our lord won't stop until I climax." Akari leaned forward over her body to whisper those words into her ear, fingers stroking at the inside of her elbow, breath teasing the sensitive skin inside the ear and she shivered in mixed pleasure and fear at the idea. "It's usually a sort of torment of course, and he doesn't refrain from his own pleasure, but he continues stimulation in other ways between taking me."

Then he bit lightly at the tip of her ear and she shuddered over into climax, which seemed to be permission enough for Akari to climax as well. She wasn't worried about having kits yet, for one thing she knew she wasn't in season and for another Akari would give her something to ensure that she didn't conceive later. Asuka expected Akari to release her then, and the vines did loosen from around her wrists and ankles, but then they tightened again, holding her more securely than they had before.

"If you want to leave me alone with Akari you can ask now, and I'll let you go, but otherwise I want you to stay just where you are."

"Can you let me get a bit more comfortable please Shuuichi-sama?"

"Go ahead." The vines loosened, and Shuuichi pulled the cushion from under her hips as the vines also moved to capture Akari, while their Patron held him in place on top of her with a hand on the small of his back. "But I want Akari to stay in you while I fuck him." She nodded in response and relaxed her legs and arms, lying limp to make things easier for Akari. She had a feeling that Akari would harden again inside her from what their Patron was doing, and that idea was oddly arousing for her, arousing enough to counteract the feeling of the vines tightening again.

From the way Akari gasped, and pressed into her Shuuichi must have just pushed the first finger into him; it was fascinating to see the hint of pain, mixed with arousal on his face, and even now she couldn't quite escape a sense of cognitive dissonance that Shuuichi dominated Akari so easily. From the beginning she'd always been surprised that a five-tail would be so willingly submissive to a four-tail, but...it was more force of personality that influenced their interaction than anything else.

"Please Shuuichi-sama." Asuka couldn't see what their Patron was doing to make Akari beg like that, but she could feel him growing hard inside her again, and then she felt a vine sliding between their bodies near the groin as he started to thrust into her.

"Ah, ah. I don't want you to move yet my silver rose. Why don't you just focus on kissing our lovely vixen?" Asuka hesitated, then licked lightly at Akari's lower lip to encourage him; she could do with some other foreplay, but she'd climaxed once already, and Akari had been wonderful, so kissing would probably be enough. He made a startled little sound in the back of his throat, then obediently began kissing her; starting with a closed mouth kiss, then tracing the line where her lips met ever so gently, and then lighting running his tongue along the sensitive ridge behind her top teeth. His teeth dragged gently at her lower lip as he lifted his head and she wriggled a bit against him as she lifted her head to kiss his chin.

Then Akari cried out as he thrust into her, and Asuka knew that it was in response to Shuuichi's own action as the vine between their bodies withdrew, moving to stimulate her clitoris surprisingly gently. Now Shuuichi reached around Akari to slide his hand between them, stroking her breasts and pinching Akari's nipples while Akari pressed his face against her shoulder. She shuddered in a second climax, but Akari stayed hard inside her and she could feel Shuuichi's hand between his legs, brushing the inside of her thighs as he did something to Akari's balls.

"Tonight I think you get to climax when I do, and not a moment before." Asuka shivered at the slight hint of cruelty in their Patron's voice, but he gentled it as he turned his attention to her. "But don't let that keep _you_ from your pleasure Asuka, I like seeing what a _real_ climax looks like on you. So I'll know if you fake it in the future."

"Yes Shuuichi-sama." That meant she couldn't do the writhing about that she'd used to please the clients who wanted to think they'd made their whore climax without bothering to do anything to help her. But she didn't think he'd be offended if she failed to climax from his attentions, as long as he wasn't making a point of tormenting her with it, it sounded like he wanted to know for the sake of an almost scientific curiosity. She just relaxed and let the sensation wash over her, abandoning herself to it without thinking of anything else at all. Eventually she felt Akari spend himself inside her again, and Shuuichi pulled out, moving to stand near their heads.

"I think I'll leave you two alone now. Do whatever you want, sleep together, or separately, but there isn't room for three there. Akari, you'll be able to control the vines again once I'm gone." And with that he left.

~~~()~~~

Akari wasn't used to waking up curled around someone else; when he slept with Shuuichi his Patron took the dominant and protective position at his back. But Asuka hadn't wanted to sleep alone, not that he blamed her, it was something he hated to do after sex as well, and there was no way he would permit anything that left him in a position where he might seem even remotely submissive to her. He could hear that she was waking up, and he nuzzled the back of her neck, cupping one breast gently and running his other hand down over her stomach to rest on her hip.

"Do you want..." Asuka trailed off, and Akari could tell that she wasn't at all enthusiastic about having sex with him at the moment, but she felt it was her duty to offer, so he laughed gently as he replied.

"To snuggle for a bit? Yes. To go any further? No. Are you alright after last night? Our master didn't push you too hard did he?"

"I...it was mostly good." Asuka wriggled around in his arms to face him as she spoke. "I don't really like being tied up, but you left enough slack that it wasn't too bad, and the idea of you getting hard again inside me helped me deal with the way Shuuichi-sama bound me at first. Then I was distracted by the pleasure."

"I'm glad." Akari stroked her back in an effort to comfort her and make her feel better about whatever might be bothering her, doing his best to live up to his responsibilities to her. "I know you didn't really get enough foreplay before I entered you, how much of a problem was that?"

"It wasn't too bad, you didn't really _hurt_ me, and you made me feel good afterwards."

"I'm glad I could do that for you." He moved one hand to pet her hair, and scratch around her ears. "You realise that Shuuichi-sama is unlikely to know your body as well as I do at the moment? And I'm not sure how long it will take him to learn."

"I can handle it, it isn't as if I expect to climax every time. The way our lord acts...I don't think he'll bother bedding me except for when he needs to get me pregnant, at least not as long as he has some other use for me." Akari wanted to contest the implication that Asuka would need to worry when he'd learned everything she could teach him, but he couldn't. Then again perhaps he could.

"The idea of offering you a place as his breeder was fairly recent, he only considered it when he decided he wanted to recreate my clan. Perhaps you should ask about studying something that could be useful to him as well?"

"Here, or in the Makai?" Akari had to laugh at that.

"Ideally something he could use in both worlds, but if you can't think of anything like that pick something you can use in the Makai over something you can use here."

"I'll remember your advice. We should get up now though." She pushed away from him, slowly and he let go of her easily. "Thank you for letting me sleep here last night. I...like having someone say with me after sex, it brings up unpleasant memories otherwise." Akari could understand that; he'd had problems after every time he lost a Patron, different problems every time and problems it had taken him years to get past. Problems that had affected his responses to Shuuichi after they made their agreement and were probably still affecting him.

"It wasn't exactly a hardship. Will you show me your new sword before we set off for Genkai's?"

"Come and look at it." She sounded excited and he shifted to his human form as she held out a hand, to help him up. "Do you think I should take it with us to show her?" Asuka was dragging him through to the main room as she spoke, and Akari made a point of telling her how beautiful her new weapon was, and how well it suited her before he answered her question.

"I would. Genkai-shihan will need to know exactly what weapon you'll be using if she's to teach you the best she can. Do you think she'll want you to return the sword she lent you, or will she allow you to keep using it for training?" He was glad that the sword matched her colours, that it looked good, elegant in its simplicity and he did his best to focus on practical matters.

"I don't know. I think it would probably be better for me to get used to working with my new sword, and I should show our Patron I appreciate his gift."

"Yes, you should." And Akari walked through to the kitchen, to make a start on breakfast. "Do you want miso?"

~~~()~~~


End file.
